Tag Archives: preparation

A Zero To 100 Percent Chance

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The weatherman says that there’s a zero to 100 percent chance that some/most of the country will get zero to 20 inches of snow beginning and ending sometime between tomorrow and Monday.

And where I live, people are losing their minds.

Milk, bread and toilet paper are flying off the shelves and weekend plans are already cancelled in anticipation of this weather event. My parents waited in a tremendous line at Walmart Thursday night and had the war weary faces of people who had seen too much in their quest to pick up my hamburger buns and lettuce.

The forecast models aren’t especially helpful either. One meteorologist that serves southern Ohio has three models going and each one shows something drastically different. Winter storms are hard to predict and last year’s gutting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) didn’t do us any favors in this department.

So, I am preparing as though we will get several inches and be placed under a Level Three Snow Emergency where driving is restricted. I’m also planning for ice and heavy snow that will snap trees and power lines. And I’m prepared to just be happy staying home with a stack of books this weekend.

I was already prepared for that last one. Heh!

Here’s what I’m doing to get ready for Snowpocalypse 2026:

Charging– Yesterday I rounded up all the flashlights and battery backups. I checked batteries and started charging everything so it’s ready to go.

Food Preparation – I plan to boil some eggs and make a small pot of soup and some corn muffins today. I have some things that could easily be made on the grill or eaten cold so I’ll gather up that stuff and keep it front and center. That way I don’t have to dig through the freezer in the dark.

Water – Now that I’m no longer reliant on a well that’s electric powered, I worry less about water. However, a water line break is always a threat so I still have on hand a few containers of water for flushing as well as some bottled water for drinking. If water were still more of an issue, I would have every pot and pan in the house filled with water by now.

Warmth – I do not have an alternate heating source but I do have a tent! I wrote about this before (here’s the link) but it is worth mentioning again. A tent you use for camping outside will keep you warm inside your home if you lose heat. My tent is the perfect size to fit on a queen sized bed and it keeps me nice and cozy. I pulled the tent, sleeping bag and nice Eddie Bauer insulated blanket out of the closet yesterday.

As an aside, If you have small kids and are worried about keeping them warm, consider building them a blanket fort with your kitchen table. I used to do that when I was a kid and it’s loads of fun. Their body heat will help to warm that small space and make it more comfy!

Gathering Other Supplies – I tried to think about what else I might need if the power goes out. Today I will empty a plastic tote for outside food storage in case I want it. The nice thing about a power outage in the snow is that you can pack food stuff in snow in coolers or totes. Store them in the trunk of your car to keep them cold and safe from animals. I also have a bag of ice in each of my freezers. If I don’t open the freezer doors, everything should stay frozen for a long time.

My snow shovel is handy as are my boots and cold weather gear. Today I’ll run outside at lunch time to feed the birds. I’ll repeat that process again tomorrow morning if the snow hasn’t set in yet. That way their little bird bellies will be nice and full until the snow moves through and I can feed again.

Entertainment – I have a puzzle at the ready as well a stack of books to keep me entertained regardless of what the weather does this weekend.

What’s missing? I think I have covered my own priorities but would love to hear about yours!

Reality Check

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One of the most common conversations I’ve heard for months is that people can’t wait for 2020 to be over. The idea is that life will go back to normal once 2020 ends. Like all our problems will magically disappear with the turn of a calendar page.

Friends, that’s not how this is going to go. The pandemic will not know that it’s 2021 and that we’re mentally done with all this.

Instead, on January 1, 2021 we will be in the dead of winter and it will be too cold to dine outside. It will be dark early, making it hard for us 9 to 5’ers to get out for outdoor fun. It’s going to be hard for us to social distance in the yards of family and friends when it’s snowing.

My introverted personality makes it easier for me to be alone. My enjoyment of cold weather makes it easier for me to tolerate the cold and darkness. In fact, I like winter well enough I wrote last year about my coping mechanisms that I think might help others.

I understand that I’m lucky.

And yet, I’m still worried about how hard this winter might be given that spending time in stores and other public spaces that I typically frequent won’t be advisable or at the very least, I will want to limit my exposure.

I come from a long line of worriers but refuse to succumb to worry. Instead, I prefer to use logic to think things through, troubleshoot and plan. So I’m working now to plan and mentally prepare for what’s to come.

Here’s what I’m doing to take charge of my winter.

Gather supplies– Let us be clear – I am not a stockpiler but I do live in the country so it’s smart to always have extra supplies on hand. I also live on a hill that my car sometimes can’t climb when we’ve had a lot of freeze-thaw that makes it slick. There is nothing worse than packing groceries up a big hill!

Consequently, I always prioritize keeping plenty of supplies on hand so that I don’t have to shop when it’s nasty out. That means I’ve been gradually stocking up on non perishable and frozen foods, cat litter, cleaning supplies, toiletries, laundry detergent and even weird things like light bulbs. Think about the things that force you to make a special trip to the store and those are the things you need to focus on.

If you buy a few extra things each shopping trip, you don’t notice the extra cost. I will still need to pop into the store for fresh produce but can limit my time in the store by just my grabbing the short list of needs.

Make a list – I’ve started a list of things to do in my free time. Hikes and drives are . close to home ways that I can get outside. Hiking in the winter can be amazing if you know how to stay warm and on your feet but there are plenty of ways to stay busy and entertained at home as well. For me that means fun things like movie marathon days, experimenting in the kitchen, reading, playing the piano (I badly need to start doing this again before I forget how), genealogy research, photography and trip planning. There are also projects that I want to work on. One room in my house is sort of an ongoing monster project that I’m determined to civilize this winter.

Troubleshoot – I’ve been thinking about what I need to make my life at home happier. Honestly, my home is a pretty happy place but there are small ways to improve it. For example, I can’t sit on my couch and use something electronic that needs to be plugged in. If my laptop battery is dying, I have to move to the desk or chair or somewhere else to plug it in. Digging out an extension cord that I already own will fix this. Maybe you will better enjoy cooking if you have nicer pots and pans or terrific soup bowls. Make your home more cozy with a yummy smelling candle or put a bird feeder outside your favorite window. Maybe you need to do something more drastic like paint or replace your bedding with some warm flannel. I really want a cozy chair for bedroom reading but haven’t yet found what I want. It’s been sort of a Goldilocks situation where everything is to big, too small, too expensive or too poorly made.

Adjust your expectations – I have no interest in spending much time in public spaces but still want to support small businesses and get out of the house. For me that means being selective about where and how I spend my time.

I talked to a museum manager last week who said they have very few people visiting at this time. I would feel safe visiting her museum and maybe browsing an antique or book store. These are not the types of stores that pack people in. Rather than eat in a restaurant I’ll continue doing drive thru or curbside pick up.

These are trade offs I’m happy to make so I can go out and do fun, enriching things with my free time while still limiting my exposure (and those around me) to the virus.

If you are a social person, you might want to try Zoom parties or FaceTime with friends rather than hang out in person.

Embrace the here and now – this life is the only one you have. Instead of wishing it away waiting for the weekend, for a vacation or for the pandemic to end, it’s better to find ways to simply enjoy the life you have today.

Unless you have a chronic illness or are mourning a devastating loss of life this should be attainable at least at some level.

Life is what we make of it and focusing on the bad will make it worse. Appreciating what we have and looking for the good will automatically improve it tenfold.

Let’s do that, shall we?