The Ice Storm Cometh ("Hunker Down" Checklist: Chocolate, Yarn, Flour, Dog Food, Generator. . . Chocolate)

If you ever wanted to see what a prediction of "The End of the World" might look like, shopping in St. Louis yesterday would have given you a pretty good idea. I got out of my car at the farthest end of our Super Wal Mart's parking lot (note--about a half mile away!) to look up and find a short woman (much shorter than I) pushing her cart around, completely lost, talking to herself, holding a set of keys in hand. Being taller, I thought I could lend a hand--I knew that look. "Lost your car?" "Yes." So we proceeded to wander aimlessly around looking for her car, her key chain up in the air to prompt the beep-beep. She seemed to be in the same Almost Fifty age bracket I'm in. I felt for her. I've been there, sister, I really have. After about ten minutes of me dashing in and out of parked cars, and not having any luck and the ocean of cars growing by the minute as new panic-stricken shoppers arrived,  I had to go. She wouldn't stop talking to herself and I became concerned. Thankfully, another woman joined in the hunt--she could finish because I was at the point where I realized I'd now lost MY car. Almost Fifty moment number 157.

Next, I had to get Michael's for yarn. I'm sure if we collectively all got together to share what we'd deem end-of-the-world provisions, we'd find vast differences in how "survival need" is defined. Here I was in line and a couple (older I'll say) stood shaking their heads at the lines of folks waiting. When husband to wife said, loud enough for me to hear: What's the worst that can happen, we're without power a few days? I mean, my god, we aren't in the middle of a third world country or anything. I glanced lovingly at my purchase of bottled water and mushrooms (I like to buy them in bulk, okay?!) and said, Could be bad. Sort of to myself. I pictured this poor woman having to rub two sticks together to start a fire to keep herself warm. Poor thing.   

I took note of some of the "food outages" as I stumbled out into the great divide. No bananas. No potatoes. No bread. No green peppers (why?). No lettuce (the bagged kind--stranger yet). No milk (a usual suspect, and the first to go no matter what). No potato chips. Perhaps some are planning to be as junk food intoxicated as they can to avoid having to deal with the rest of the family crammed inside four walls for what might be a Very Long Week. 

 

If the predicted storm of possibly up to a half inch of ice FIRST--then a boat load of snow on top didn't give pause, the editors in the newsrooms thought they'd really have some fun and let us all know we had  experienced a minor earthquake yesterday. Minor. (Something like a two pointer. But the earth shook according to our little measure thingy. As if the ice coming wasn't bad enough!)

Yesterday was beautiful and sunny--it was hard to believe we'd have the wrath of God fall upon our little lives in another 24 hours. I have the perfect project to finish by candlelight should all power cease: my hexagon blanket. I will occupy the dark hours of TV-less nights this way, crochet hook in hand (oh god please don't take the power away Wednesday night, it's Idol night!) while I mutter "I love the snow" remembering the 120 degree summer we JUST had and dreaming of a little milder spring that lasts at least until July. . . at least. In case you live in a "milder" climate (by this I mean, when you hear the word ice you think "for your beverage")--you may want to kiss the ground you walk on today!