The weather reports started on Friday afternoon, and they were grim. The airports would be closed, the schools would be closed, and the entire metro Atlanta area would be blanketed in snow of apocalyptic proportions.
Saturday was a normal day. With no catastrophic weather in sight, the northern born members of my household (myself included) were doubtful that a single flake of snow would fall. We had heard the threat of a terrible winter storm before with barely an inch of powder left in its wake. But the weather reports this time were far more ominous. Even the local electric company sent out emails warning customers of a possible loss of power due to ice and snow.
I was reminded by texts and Facebook posts that I needed to stock up on things like bread, milk and toilet paper in preparation of the blizzard. Not being one to overreact, I didn’t shop as forewarned. I have a four wheel drive Land Rover, and I had no intentions of being snowed in. But as the news reports came more frequently, with promises of six plus inches of snow and more than a half an inch of ice, I changed my mind.
Sunday evening, the aisles in the grocery store were picked through as if the end of the world was upon us, and I suppose to the native southerner, it was. All I wanted was a few frozen pizzas for the kids, but it would seem that frozen pizza was the choice du jour for the snowstorm preparation kits. Lucky for me, we buy organic milk, because all of the lesser expensive types were sold out. Still, we managed to find what we needed and made our way back home without as much as a single flake of snow in the air. Although, as a native of New York State, I could taste the impending snow in the air as we unloaded our bags from the car. It was just a feeling, and one I hadn’t had for many years, but I knew the air was thick with something different than the typical southern snow storm.
My husband, ever the planner, decided that this might be the perfect opportunity to use his solar power backup generator and began putting the panels together in the dining room. If we did lose power like the electric company seemed to find likely, we would be the only ones in the neighborhood with alternative energy, and he was ready to say, “I told you so” to all of the naysayers who laughed when he bought the solar kit last summer. He also filled empty water jugs with fresh water as an added precaution. If the end of the world was coming, we would at least have power enough to run the television (or the lights) and we would have water to drink. Oh, and lots of bread, milk and toilet paper!
When I opened the door to let the dogs out around eight thirty, it was snowing. Less than ten minutes after they came back in, the paw prints were covered up with snow. Another thirty minutes later we couldn’t see the ground and the snow blowing around the air was like a white tornado. After an hour or so, more than three inches had accumulated and the solar panels were completely covered in a layer of ice and snow that will surely block any chance of sunlight from getting through tomorrow morning.
It has been several years since I have lived in the north, but I haven’t seen snow like this since then. It really is a blizzard…Yankee style!
Thank goodness I have milk! I don’t know what I would do without milk!
Until the next time…I’ll be trying to dig out without a snow shovel!