Bring It On, Mother Nature

I've been keeping close watch on this storm for a while now. The Weather Channel named it Blizzard Stella. Our local channels named it Blizzard Eugene. It's massive. This morning, we were under a winter storm warning. Later in the day, they upgraded us to a blizzard watch. Late this afternoon, they upgraded us again to a blizzard warning. There's strict criteria to a storm being classified as a blizzard. Once that happens, you know shit is about to get real.

At 5 p.m., I watched Governor Malloy, via live stream, during a press conference about this storm. He announced a travel ban starting tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. Lisa got word shortly after, and much to my relief, that work was cancelled the following day.

As it stands now, we're expected to get up to 2 feet of snow and the winds will be blasting us at 40-60 mph. They're anticipating widespread power outages. 

Thankfully, Lisa did grocery shopping a few days ago. There was no need to make a mad dash to the grocery store. After dinner, Lisa took a quick trip to the gas station to fill up our vehicle. Meanwhile, I prepped extra chicken, rice, and veggies for the kids.

Before Lisa went to bed she filled one of our trash bins in the kitchen with water to use for pail flushing if necessary. She also filled some pitchers with water for drinking. I baked cookies. Made sure all the flashlights had working batteries in 'em. Took out some extra blankets.

We are prepared. 

Although I'm not thrilled about a blizzard in March, we live in New England. This stuff happens. When it does, I'm always reminded of an April snowstorm, back in my late 20's, when we got over a foot of snow.

That year, we had a mild March. By the time April rolled around, it was warm. The spring flowers were blooming and buds decorated the trees. We kept our windows opened around the clock. People, including us, put their shovels and snowblowers away.

I spent an entire afternoon digging up grass and soil on the front lawn for flowerbeds. I purchased flowers and seeds. The following afternoon, I planted everything.

A few days later, Mother Nature unloaded over a foot of snow in our area.

Lesson learned.

From that day forward, I always wait until mid May.

When a blizzard hits in March, it's no surprise. We're not in shock and awe. We just roll our eyes, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

And, we know the kids will be restless and out of sorts and Sophie will be terrified of the wind. 

Bring it on, Mother Nature.