Oct. 29, 2011 snowstorm
Last year on Halloween weekend we had a huge nor’easter storm that brought us 7 inches of snow and a lot of damage. It was a freak of nature. We don’t get snow that early. Many people were out of power for day. We were lucky.
Here we are again preparing for Hurricane Sandy – same weekend but hopefully without snow. They are predicting anywhere from 4 to 7 inches of rain instead.
Today was cloudy…again….but a mild day in the 60s. We spent the day doing prep work. The beloved husband was cleaning out the gutters so the rain could properly drain. I closed the pond for the season and took stuff inside or into protected corners.
We also had the generator discussion. We discuss getting a generator every time there are predictions of a bad storm or we lose power. Somehow we don’t seem to act on it when the power is on. The good ones are very expensive and we are not convinced that small ones are really worth it. So far we have been very lucky. We don’t lose power often and we haven’t lost it for more than 12 hours. Believe me, if the 12 hours would happen when I need to wash my hair without a blow dryer, we may be rethinking this.
We were up early to make a shopping trip. We didn’t need a lot of stuff, just a few groceries which we really could live without but we decided to get out early and beat the crowds.
We didn’t beat the crowds. Normally 9 a.m. on a Saturday is not overly crowded. It gets more crowded closer to noon. Today, that wasn’t true. Our checkout cashier said it was even worse yesterday. They had all of the registers open along with 8 self-check registers. That is a lot of registers and they were expecting it to be busy again today.
The storm isn’t going to hit here until Tuesday. I am not sure why everyone is shopping so early.
I worked with Steve who is from Wisconsin. People from Wisconsin takes storms in stride, at least that’s what he says. He was amazed by the storm shopping craze that happens when the forecasters, who are often wrong, predict any kind of bad weather.
His theory is that people in Pennsylvania eat French toast during storms even to the extent of using a grill if the power is out. I asked him why he thought that. He said that it’s milk, bread and eggs that fly off the shelves. What else can you make with those three ingredients? It’s not like people are buying a pot roast or soup meat.
He has a point. We bought bread today but got some really good pastrami to go with it. Gutters are cleared, furniture cushions are in. We are ready for a storm to enjoy some really good hot pastrami sandwiches!
Good luck to all my east coast friends and may Sandy miss you completely!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
I shopped Monday afternoon, once everyone else was hunkered down inside. Nobody at Giant then! It pays to be last minute sometimes.
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Hope the worst is past by now and you’re okay??? Let us know.
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We are good. Our power was out for a day but it’s back on.
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Ditto what Three Well Beings said. I’ll add pastrami to my emergency food list for when we get hit with our next huge storm. Good thinking. 😉
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I’ve been thinking of you and other blogging friends on the coast…These storms are nothing to ignore. I’m glad you took the time to do what you can…and pastrami was an excellent choice! 🙂
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All the best, and stay safe! We are experiencing some weird weather patterns these days…
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Hope that Sandy is more subdued than anticipated.
We’ve never lost a freezer full of food due to a storm outage, but we did lose heat for long enough once that we considered vacating the frigid premises. Just as we pondered what to pack, the power and heat returned. Aah . . . that’s better!
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I’m glad that people are preparing. It does sound like it could be a doozy. Stay safe and warm! Don’t forget the blankets – lots of them!
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Our power lines are underground, but in last year’s freak storm we lost power for 4 days. We’re hoping that doesn’t happen again. We brought in all of the potential projectiles from our garden. Good luck riding out the storm. Enjoy those pastrami sandwiches.
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We have underground too but that doesn’t seem to eliminate the outage problem. Last year we were lucky. Homes about 6 blocks from us were out of power for 5 days! We are not in a rural area but on the edge of a city. I am not sure how we would handle that. Fortunately, it’s not too cold yet but there isn’t much you can do without power.
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Here’s hoping that Sandy misses you and you don’t have to eat bread and pastrami in darkness. Funny, the thought of everyone eating French Toast through hurricanes 😀
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I live south of where the bad weather is to be but we are having really strong winds today and it is overcast. We will probably get some rain. No run on groceries. Hope it is just a normal bad storm for you.
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Good luck. If the power goes out, be the first to take a shower while the water is still warm. 8). I suppose you must have a gas water heater and that statement sounded really off. 😉
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No we have an all electric house so you can be sure I will be first in the shower!
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🙂
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It’s really cold here too but no snow .. maybe yet … would love christmas like two years ago which was wonderfully white and magical
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Wishing you all the best with Sandy! I hope it isn’t the huge storm they are predicting!!!
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We also spent the day preparing and shopping. I could sweat with fear just thinking about not having a blow dryer!
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yes and heat and a computer and hot water. I guess I am just spoiled.
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Hope the storm passes and you all are OK. Glad you’re prepared.
When we lived in Syracuse, N.Y., the mere mention of a storm would send everyone scurrying to the grocery stores. Yes, they cleared the shelves of milk, and whatever else that was not perishable. It seemed silly, even then, because no storm shut us in for more than a day or two.
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I was going to pick up some meat today but my husband said we should wait to see if we lose power. We have enough food for at least a month anyway and you are right, it’s been a long time since we were housebound for more than 2 days.
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Years ago the storm-crazies got me thinking about how long I could last in my house with the food that I already have. I figured, like you, Kate, that I could last at least a month. I decided that every February I would not buy food (except milk, eggs and bread, of course) at the grocery store and eat through the stuff that is in my cabinets and freezer. I’ve never gone hungry in February.
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That’s a great idea. I tend to buy meats in club packs, then freeze. This past summer I went a long time just using what I had. Sometimes I couldn’t make what I wanted because I was out of pork chops or something else but there was plenty of other stuff to use that was good. It worked. Now I think twice before buying meats. There are just 2 of us so it’s not like I cook for a big group.
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We had two feet of snow in last year’s October surprise. No power for six days. We do have a generator, since we live in a very rural area. The generator is a blessing, but it is an even greater blessing when the power comes back and the NOISE ceases.
Here in Connecticut we are expecting very bad weather. We always expect the worst (It’s part of the New England personality) – but we also always hope we are wrong.
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