It's going to snow here in the southeastern part of the U.S. Maybe 1-3 inches. Maybe ice. If you know anything about this part of the country, you know that the "S" word makes people a little crazy. It snows so infrequently here that we don't have the equipment or people-power to manage it. Plus we have an abundance of transplants here so you've got wizened Chicago drivers on the roads with paranoid Floridians.
It's not pretty.
Most of the schools in the area are closing early today and will likely be closed tomorrow. For 1-3 inches. Yes...I know. I can see my Canadian friends doing their best WTF chuckle and my northern U.S. comrades shouting, "Rookies!" at their screens. But when your child has been trapped on a school bus for 6 hours in a traffic jam and you're home worried sick. Or when YOU'VE been stuck in a traffic jam caused by that person from Chicago trying to pass the Floridian and neither one can navigate the ice that has formed because we didn't have enough salt and chemicals to treat the road...well...then I'm GLAD they are closing schools.
But even more incredible than the schools closing at the mere whisper of snow, is what happens at the GROCERY STORE. Even now I'm guessing that there isn't a loaf of bread, a square of toilet paper or a gallon of milk in any store within a 50 mile radius of Charlotte. People are flocking to the store to "stock up" just in case they're SNOWED IN.
Because that happens so often in this part of the U.S.
Um...not.
However, you really get a glimpse of what people value when you sit and watch a few hundred of them go through a check out line. New moms and dads have cleaned out the diaper and formula aisles. Teens and college kids have cleaned out the cookies and chips. Milk and bread have moved from the stores to the pantries of families everywhere. And on the way out they all grab some cocoa and marshmallows because what's a snow day without cocoa and marshmallows?
Four years ago, if you had seen me in that checkout line, you would not have seen any of the above (okay...maybe the cocoa and marshmallows) because I'm from a little further north and I know that the likelihood of getting SNOWED IN falls squarely in the "no fucking way" category. But...you would have seen several bottles of Chardonnay (or maybe a box...or both) on my belt.
Some things are best not left to chance.
I would PANIC if I thought I didn't have enough wine. I'm talking hyperventilating, racing heart panic. Of course I would never admit to the panic. I would call the hubs and toss a comment like, "Hi honey. On the way home could you pick up some popcorn and hot cocoa so the kids have it for their snow day. Oh...and grab a couple of bottles of wine too would ya?"
Smoooooth.
Since I worked from home back then, I got to enjoy a day where the kids ran in and out of the house precisely 3,465 times, got dressed and undressed a mere 845 times, drank all the cocoa, played every board game we had and watched every cartoon Looney Toons ever made. The sad thing was that in the back of my mind I would be thinking and waiting and waiting and thinking about what time would be a good time to crack that first bottle. Never fully present.
Sigh.
But that was then and this is now so I need to call the hubs and makes sure he gets the sugar free cocoa and the mini marshmallows and the ingredients for my chicken soup.
Cause what's a snow day without chicken soup?
Namaste
We are the same in England. This year so far no sign of snow thankfully.
ReplyDeleteLike you always Chicken soup. :-)
It was non stop at the store today, All the yogurt is almost gone! I got scallions, sardines, cilantro, and bengal tea. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you are still well stocked in toilet paper in eggs! In Maryland, it was always bread, milk, eggs...in PA the same exact thing. A regular french toast party. Panic in the aisles, cleared roads within the day. I guess it livens up this time of year. I've been in a couple of those several-hours-long commutes during snowstorms and it's not pretty. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteOooh how exciting.. we love a bit of snow here in NZ.. especially in the mountains where loads of people go skiing. Yeah I'd get a bit of a freak on if I didn't think we had enough wine for the night but then again I'd developed an incredibly naughty habit of popping out to get more when the bottle I'd already drunk wasn't enough. In the car. Very very very very very naughty indeed. Thank goodness I'm sober. Thank goodness you're sober. Thank goodness we're sober!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes some of us up here are laughing but not me. I imagine no one has snow tires for this event and like you said, the roads aren't salted/cleared. I wouldn't dare go out on snow covered roads here without snow tires. People there are not used to handling a car on slippery roads.
ReplyDeleteRe: that mass panic phenomena, It happens here too where snow is common. Someone mentions the word storm and the grocery and liquor stores are blocked. I find it bizarre. It's like no one has any food in their house all of a sudden.
Since 2002,I always managed to live on steep hills with the local convenience at the bottom. In Winter, even in the middle of a snow storm whereby the taxi's can't even get up the hill and it is 2 feet of snow, I would manage to get to that store to get my nightly cigs and beer. Almost having a heart attack climbing back up. Now that is desperation..haha
You brought back so many good memories of snow days when I was a kid, the ongoing Monopoly games, the socks drying and getting warm on the heater and my mom keeping the hot chocolate laden with marshmallows at the ready. And she did it all without booze. I had snow days with my kids too and the one difference was that I had my cinnamon schnapps spiked cider or some other nice alcoholic bevvie to cuddle with. My mom would be so proud of me now.
ReplyDeleteOh such memories, I always stocked up on wine too. Why did I think you lived in Michigan or Minnesota? Where did I get that idea? I live in the Chicago area and some of the drivers are still idiots. They're everywhere.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your sobriety! I have just found your blog and am enjoying reading your journey. There are many people out there that need the kind of help they can receive from your stories! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting caught up on all the posts and this one just made me laugh out loud in my office. Don't know if the snow arrived, but I'll keep reading. (I'm finally catching up.)
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