Countdown to Spring - Priorities

Well, it's official.  I'm off from work on Tuesday.  Almost all the school districts in my area have closed in anticipation of our snowstorm tomorrow.  That wasn't a surprise.  What was a bit of a pleasant shock was the county executive closing county offices and ordering all non-emergency staff to stay home, with other local government offices following suit.  This is a rare decision, to be sure.  But, then, this storm event is worth the caution.

This is a classic nor'easter, creating blizzard conditions, snow totals of at least – AT LEAST – 12 inches, and winds 10-20 mph with gusts as high as 40 as the storm makes its way up the eastern seaboard.  Usually when these storms occur, northern and western parts of New York get spared significant snowfall.  Not this time.  They may not get the 12+ totals, but they'll still come close to having one foot of snow on the ground when it's all said and done.  Even places that don't normally see significant snow at all – Washington, DC, for example – will be digging out with the rest of us on Wednesday.  Yup, it's a biggie.

I'm as prepared as I'm going to be for this.  My kerosene heater and little generator are ready.  I put the plastic on the south side of my porch again.  It got blown off by the power killer cold front that passed through two Saturdays ago.  I put it back up to minimize the amount of shoveling I'd have to do of my porch just to open the front door.

I have adequate food, water, flashlights and batteries.  I also have chocolate, popcorn and videos.  Priorities.

I've covered as much of the patches of crocus and snowdrops as I could with containers weighted down just in case a gust of wind works to remove them.  I realize they've managed to survive torrential rain, high winds, single digit temperatures and deer invasion without help from me.  But a foot of snow is a bit much to endure and I'm not just talking the flowers survival, either.  I'm sure I'm going to need to see something other than white ground out there in the days ahead.

Again, priorities.

See y'all on the other side of this end-of-winter beastie.

Only 7 days until Spring.