OUT & ABOUT: FEBRUARY 2014
February 22: PREPARE FOR THE NEXT WINTRY BLAST
We’ve had quite a winter so far this year. I hope you’ve survived the travails of blast after blast of snow, ice, and cold that Old Man Winter has thrust upon us.
I predict it’s not over yet, even though we’ve had a spell of several days of sun that’s removed snow and a good bit of ice. Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter—those six weeks won’t end until mid-March.
I was checking my records and came across challenging winter storms in March and on April 22 last year.
My suggestion is that lessons are learned from the harsh winter of past months. We’ve heard complaints from numerous people living in several communities.
The big complaints everywhere this season has been the roads and insufficient perishable goods.
Road maintenance people are not gods, nor do they control Old Man Winter or Mother Nature. When the heavens open and deposit an inordinate amount of precipitation on the roads everyone must have patience, especially with faithful volunteers who, in spite of being inundated, work to keep the roads at least passable.
Might I suggest the following
- if you must walk on the roads you have a pair of ice cleats on your shoes, and you carry deicer, cat litter, or sand with you to prevent falls.
- during this break in weather supply your cupboards with milk (or milk substitutes such as Boost or Slimfast, perfectly good substitutes for milk), canned food, bottled juice.
- just in case, maintain a supply of water (not necessarily for drinking, but for household use) in a niche in your home.
- have a supply of batteries for flashlights in the event the power goes off
- finally, pick out a couple of good books and, when the weather is inclement, curl up on your couch with a cup of coffee or tea and be grateful that Old Man Winter and Mother Nature give you a break.
And remember, the snow covers our spring surprises. On Feb. 22, 2013, the snowdrops were in bloom. Today they could not be—they were covered by snow.
I realize some of you must be out even in the worst weather. Please be prepared (have charged cell phone, flashlights blankets, gas in the car). And drive safely. We want everyone to have a wonderful spring and summer.
Laurelmountainboro's Weblog 
While the luxury of curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee sounds wonderful, the reality is that some of us, who live here in the Park, work outside of the Park. What would be wonderful is having roads maintained and cleared in the early morning hours, and in icy conditions, throw some anti-skid on the roads. As a faithful taxpayer, I have been left to wonder where our tax dollars are going, if not to maintain the roads, in all kind of weather.
Comment by LuAnn — February 26, 2014 @ 9:31 am |
Really? I put on a reply yesterday, only to find that someone took it off. So again I say that it would be nice to sit down with a hot cup of coffee, a book and a blankie, and be thankful for the snow/ice covered roads. But some of us still do work, are not retired yet, and have to go out and about. It truly would be awe-inspiring to know that our roads were going to be plowed ASAP during the week so those of us who have to travel can get out of the Park. And it really would be great to see some of those tax dollars at work, and again, I am a faithful taxpayer. I’d like to see safety first in the Park, and know that anti-skid is being used to give us traction, whether on foot, or in the car!
Comment by LuAnn — February 27, 2014 @ 7:47 pm |