1118 Storm Coming

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

We've got our first big winter snowstorm coming. TV news had said 6-12 inches at first, then it went to 12-18, then to 20-36. The guy in the local jewelry store said he'd heard up to 40 inches. So I dug out Jay's weather radio.

Seems like back when he was driving to work every day, and we used to listen often to the national weather service on the little receiver, the main report was very specific to this area, from about Hudson to Kingston to Hyde Park, with another (different voice) for the wider area, and then an extended term report.

It's changed. Now a female voice gives a long and detailed report, followed immediately by another long and detailed report with different temperature, wind, and accumulation numbers, followed by another and another, and what really bugs me is that there's NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER of what area she's talking about for each report! None.

So, we're getting somewhere between 10 and 36 inches, starting somewhere between 6 and 10 pm tonight and ending somewhere between 7 pm Wednesday and 6 am Thursday. Wednesday will have sleet and ice mixed in. Somebody somewhere will have winds of 20-30 mph with 35 mph gusts (blizzard conditions) on Wednesday afternoon. The rest of the week will be sunny but below freezing.

I tried starting the snowthrower this morning, and was very surprised when it started right up (electric "plug-it-in" starter). It has an inch of old gas in it from last year, which I hadn't run out like I'm supposed to. I was afraid the carburetor would be glunked up and it wouldn't start. (The back-up plan would be to call the Hunk and have him plow.)

So I went out and bought some nice fresh gas to reward it with, and I'm all set.

Um - I poured the remains of last year's gas in the gas can into a dishpan, which is now sitting out on the lawn. What does one do with old gas? I don't want to pour it into a car because it looks dirty. There are black specks in it. Don't know where that came from. Maybe dead bugs?

The watch I ordered Sunday evening arrived this morning, and I hadn't even asked for expedited delivery. It's ok, everything works, I can hear the alarm. Hearing the alarm may not do me any good. I wanted to leave the house to go into the village at 1 pm, so I set the alarm (it's got 5 alarms!). A test. At 1 pm, it beeped, and my reaction was "Oh, alarm. Good." And I kept right on doing what I was doing. It didn't seem to occur to me that the alarm meant anything.

Yes, I have a serious problem with time.

The band needs 5 links removed, and it's not the simple spring posts, so I took it to a jeweler in the village. He's backed up with Valentine's Day orders, so I won't be able to pick it up until late Wednesday, or Thursday.

With sleet in the forecast, and electric line strung from poles all along the roads, there's a fair chance we'll lose electricity, so I checked the woodpile, the fireplace, and the oil lanterns and oil candles. I've got a gallon of spring water, and nibbles that don't need cooking (although I do have a camp stove just in case), so I'm all set for whatever happens.

All except for someone to snuggle with during a blizzard on Valentine's Day.
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