Snow in the News

Last night I was watching the news. The snow storm, okay, the blizzard was the headline story. The weather report starts each night at 11:17 pm. It's precise. Predictable. I must stay awake each night until 11:20 when the 5 day forecast shows across the screen. Every night this is my routine. Then I can rest if I want, zone out if need be. If sleep takes hold of my body that's fine, the sleep timer on the TV will take care of it. Last night however I didn't need to wait until 11:17pm. The one and only story across the entire news last night starting from the very first moment was the blizzard that had already begun. They had incredibly valuable reports like the lady doing a live report from the local grocery store. There were no bananas left in the store. None. What craziness! What mayhem! How will we ever survive? One lady they were interviewing had been to three stores, count them, three stores and all three were completely out of milk. We're all going to die!! Other stupendous, not to be missed news reports included:

• why you should not go out in the snow if you don't know how to drive in it
• if your car isn't properly equipped to handle the weather don't go out
• if you go out even though you shouldn't have gone out, make sure you do this and that
• there are no bananas at the grocery store
• schools x, y and z are closed tomorrow
• live phone reports from Virginia and Maryland Departments of Transportation telling us that they have definitely decided to plow the roads (as opposed to what? doing nothing? of course they are going to plow that's what they do)
• there are STILL no bananas at the grocery store

I'm not sure what the root cause (I think nerdy engineer every time that phrase escapes my mouth) of my non-fear attitude is. Is it growing up in Utah and having had snow every year of my life growing up? Is it my complete and total elation about the gorgeous fluffy white wonderland that emerges to cleans the world and mute the business by insulating us from all noise? Is it because I try to live my life and keep my home at least somewhat prepared for emergencies? I have wheat and a wheat grinder so I can make bread (assuming we have power). When I shop I shop by the case, not by the can of food. We drink powdered milk everyday of our lives. We may run out of bananas, true. But we're going to be just fine. We will not starve.

My favorite thing ever is that they were reporting on people running out to get gas for their cars. Please, someone, tell me why is there a run on gas? Isn't the big story that we won't be able to leave our homes? So..........what do you need gas for again? Enough said. Now go out and make a snowman with your kids, shovel your sidewalks for you and an elderly neighbor, catch a fluffy snowflake on your tongue and enjoy the gift of winter.