Mountain Breeze: Winter’s coming. Time for bread and milk?
SO far winter has been a smattering of ice in mid-November. lots of rain and miserable wind. But, like Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, now might be the time to say, “Winter’s coming.”
The type of late fall weather is likely to come to a screeching halt on Sunday Dec. 8. A system hit the California Coast yesterday and by all weather predictions on TeeVee, print and from National Weather Services that baby may dump anywhere from a few inches of snow to over a foot here from late Saturday night through possibly Monday morning.
Meteorological Winter began last Sat. Dec. 1 though our calendar season doesn’t hit til Dec. 21. We have had plenty of cold air this week. So the ground is cold, the upper levels are cold. Just hope it is not ice.
Now we wait on the track of the storm. How it swings will predict our out come.
So it begs the question.
How many of you were here in 2009 and 2010 when we had those big snows? Did you have a wild ride home down 220 or Route 11? I left work and 20 minutes later slip-slided down Catawba Rd. to home. IT happened that fast in 2010.
2009 was as bad. I just was at home before it started.
So do we get the bread and milk and store up some edibles just in case? I think I will.
Get the old snow shovels out? Yep.
Fuel your generator? Don’t have one but batteries are on my list.
Firewood? Check.
Good books to read? Check.
Now if you are on the road. Please Botetourt drivers of 4 wheel drives especially pick-up trucks do not latch on to the Bumper Hawg mentality you have shown in the past. Do not crowd the snow plow. Don’t go whizzing around other drivers on the feeder roads. Don’t drive too close on slick roads so we see the whites of your crazed eyes. Do not drive like bats out of hell on the main roads.
You may however carry a tow chain with you in case your neighbor needs a pull out of the ditch.
Little old ladies and gents like me, people in straight wheel drive and front wheel drive if it is deep and if you just moved here from the sunny south: Stay home. The Botetourt County Sheriffs Dept. and Botetourt Fire and EMS have enough to watch over. When you do do something stupid, they have to risk life and limb to help you out. Their regular tasks are important enough that you, the driver, should not be there to give them more to do instead of attend a real emergency.
What you should do and can do is check on your friends, relatives and neighbors during a snow onslaught. We are all in this together.
Watch or read your fav weather forecasters. I vote for Brent Watts and Kevin Myatt. And yes I follow the NWS in Blacksburg. Look out the window. Have a ruler near by and send The Botetourt Bee snow activity pix.
Get the Christmas decs out and deck the halls (if you did not decorate before Thanksgiving… sigh) and just get ready to pretend you are in the Christmas card you are sending to Aunt Jane.
According to Virginia emergency services: Have plenty of prescribed medication, water and 3 days worth of supplies that you can live on.
Know that thousands of school children are praying for snow and maybe a few teachers, too. People like me may not be able to pray loud enough for it to miss us over that din of cheerful voices.
Make sure some of your preparedness is it is at least bread and milk. Kinda like serving a sentence is my opinion of being snowed in…. But, I try to look at that sidewalk as half full. Park the car down at the end of the driveway and wait for better conditions.
HApPy sNoW!
