When we moved to upstate New
York from Mississippi I’d like to say we had some idea what to expect. Ok, I’m just kidding myself….my husband and I
had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We’d both been to NYC before and while I was
in college, I once spent spring break visiting my cousin in Syracuse.
We moved in May. It was a great summer! The locals called it hot, but we thought it
was perfect. We did think it was strange
the pool water never really got warm though.
Our teeth would be chattering and the kids just splashed around like
they never even noticed. That should
have been our warning…
Folks had told us that
winters could be bad, but usually it didn’t snow until around January. Brett & I bought winter coats and deemed
ourselves prepared.
So when I got a text from my
husband this morning reading “It’s snowing!” my response text was immediate: “Where?” Then I realized I hadn’t looked outside yet. Grey peeked through the window blinds and I
could hear it raining. Except it wasn’t
rain. It was snow…on the pumpkins.
To say panic overtook me is
probably an understatement. My Southern
mind could simply not grasp the fact that it was early November and
snowing! It is 60 degrees back home in
Missouri today…my mindset is not for
cold weather. I called my dad and asked
if he would come get me. He just kept
saying, “Are you sure it’s snowing? It’s
only November, Heather.”
I expected the schools to
close, traffic to come to a stop and Wal-Mart to be stripped of bread, eggs and
milk…at least that’s what would happen in the South. Imagine my shock (& awe) when I was able
to drive, saw school buses dropping off children at the regular time and found
Wal-Mart fully stocked. It was like no
one even noticed it was snowing. In the South, the world as we know it would have come to a full and complete halt.
Realizing just how unprepared I was for this winter apocalypse
(and yes, I know we ain’t seen nothing yet) I spent the morning googling my
name. As a news reporter, I bet I’ve
done dozens of stories on winterizing your home, your car, your pet…ect. It all goes in one ear and out the other when
you only have to deal with snow once in a blue moon. I could not remember a single tip I’d ever told
viewers!
My will to live (and have a Lifetime Movie made after me) has prompted me to create my own survival
kit for my car. I’m convinced that I’m
probably going to get stranded somewhere in a snowstorm and even OnStar won’t
be able to find me. I decided it was pure genius when I painted the top of my Rubbermaid box as a beacon for assistance,
plus I figured I could put snacks in there too!
I also realized that I don’t know how to dress for
this. Truthfully, I’ve been cold since
about the first of October, and I’m trying not to complain, but am I supposed to look like the Abominable
Snowman until spring?
Are all the cute girls wearing leggings and knee boots with oversized
sweaters not freezing their hineys off? How
many layers can you get away with before your arms won’t bend anymore?
I read up on some of my own winterizing advice and am
trying to take it! When the next snow storm
hits, hopefully I’ll be a little bit better prepared. Maybe I’ll survive New York’s winters and
maybe I won’t.
Come to think of it, my Syracuse
cousin lives in central Florida now, right on the beach. Bet she’s
not freezing her hiney off.
