Some areas of the U.S. already have significant snow. Even some of our Buffalo, New York suburbs had a dusting of snow this morning.
Will it be a harsh winter? There’s no way to tell, but here in Western New York, we know how to prepare. Everyone keeps a snowbrush, shovel, blanket, snacks and water in their vehicles during the winter months, lest they find themselves stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road. Everyone has cell phones, and keeps them charged.
Getting out of the house and onto the road in the first place can be tricky. A few years ago, some suburbs had 7 to 8 feet of snow – even the hardiest of snowblowers won’t clear that! But most snowfalls are moderate, say 2 to 3 feet. Hubby and I are prepared. We have 3 snowblowers – a large gas-powered one, a smaller gas-powered one, and a small electric one. Of course, if the power goes out, the electric one will be useless. But we also have a number of sturdy shovels. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to die – having a heart attack in minus 0-F weather while shoveling the heavy piles left at the end of the driveway by the snowplow? If I fell down out there while it was still snowing, my body might not be found until spring.
That’s why if the weather’s really bad, I usually opt to stay home. It’s kind of neat to sit in a nice warm house watching the snow fall, while drinking a cup of tea and playing videogames on the computer. Eventually the snowfall stops, and the snow melts down to manageable levels.
Of course, if the power goes out, there will be no videogames. But there are plenty of books, and we have candles and flashlights. Probably, there will be hot tea as we have 2 generators ready to go. They should provide enough power for a couple of space heaters, the sump pump, a couple of lights, and (hopefully) the microwave – if we don’t plug everything in at once. Unfortunately, there won’t be enough power for the electric stove, although we maybe could keep the refrigerator cold enough if we plugged it in a couple of times a day. Heck, if there’s several feet of snow outside, we can put the frozen food into large bins and put those out in the snow!
We considered a whole-house generator, but there’s just not enough money in the budget for one of those. We’ve lived through week-long power outages before; we can do it again. Hopefully, we won’t have to.
And, of course, being Western New Yorkers, we keep the kitchen stocked with non-perishable foods: soup, pasta, sauce, bottled water, etc., and we always have crackers and cookies (and dog food – and treats – for Puppy Cody, can’t forget those!). The wine cellar is well-stocked (gotta have priorities). We have plenty of non-food essentials like toilet paper and paper towels.
Half the battle is being prepared; the other half is making an adventure out of it. My girls still remember playing Scrabble by candlelight and toasting marshmallows over candles. Making it fun makes the storm much easier to tolerate, and much less scary. Perhaps we’re all pioneers at heart.
We’re as ready as we can be. May winter begin.
Supplies for a Good Dog
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Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Being prepared is a very good idea, but winter? Somebody’s very sick idea of a not-so-funny joke.
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I agree, but there’s no way to stop it.
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You almost leave me wanting to move to snow country. Kind of like Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence. But I’ve lived there before. Yeah, being snowed in can be fun for a little while, but along about late-January, a soul can get tired of winter.
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In Buffalo, NY a soul can get tired of winter (and snow) by mid-November.
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We’re not quite ready for winter. We have to wait for the leaves to stop falling, clean them up and then get ready for winter. We do have plenty of dog biscuits, though. It’s silly not to be prepared at all.
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Heaven forbid one would run out of doggie treats.
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We’re prepared as we are gonna get, CM. We were looking into whole house generators but when hubby found out two holes would have to be drilled through our foundation, he said forget it. We’re stocked up on the essentials like you. I really hope this Winter is not a bad one but …. the amount of rain we’ve been getting is getting me a tad nervous. None of us can control the weather. But dang they are just too long!
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Ugh, I didn’t even know about the foundation holes. The portable generators just need a grounding pole in the back yard. Regardless, I sincerely hope we won’t need those generators.
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We had snow, but it didn’t stick. The Mister bought salt stuffs. We still have hellaleaves to deal with.
I feel fortunate, I work for people who, on bad weather days, say, “Take your time.” And they mean it. They’re really okay with late arrivals. We can wait until the rush hour is over and then go in. I’ve worked for a lot of people who’d rather you rise 2 hours early and risk life and limb to be there on time. 😦
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Yeah, I’ve worked for people like that, too, who insist work is more important than anything else that might be going on. Where I work now, the bosses are very understanding. Better to have an employee arrive late or miss a day than to have that employee get injured or killed trying to get there and then have to hire a replacement.
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Mmhm go figure *rolls eyes*
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We don’t get too much winter weather here in Atlanta, but when we do, it’s Snowmageddon!! The whole city has 2 salt trucks or something crazy like that. And the drivers have NO IDEA how to drive on the snow or ice. So I try not to go out! Luckily we’re on the same power gird as the CDC so when the power goes out, it’s up again pretty quick. Hoping you have a mild winter!
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I remember what it was like in DC when they got something like an inch of snow. Sure, there was ice under it, but no one could drive. My car pool driver wanted me to drive because I was from Buffalo. I opted out, but the other passenger, who was from Bath, NY, took the wheel and drove like a champ.
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Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow…. somewhere else/ 😳
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Yes, somewhere else – like Canada.
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Like Western Canada…. or Eastern Canada 👿
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