Blizzard bits

Are the plows here yet?

We had a blizzard starting Sunday, December 26 and ending Monday, December 27, 2010.   It came suddenly it seems.  There were storms in California, houses falling off hills, mudslides.Then there was a White Christmas in the South. And while we in the Northeast were celebrating Christmas Day, reports of an impending storm came through hourly. By Christmas night, folks were scrambling to get home, buy supplies, change plans, cancel events.  Our storm was going to be a blizzard, qualifying with wind at a consistent rate for several hours.


We awoke Sunday morning expecting to see flakes furiously fighting to land.  Nothing.   I decided to head off to the gym, thinking of getting a workout before this supposed blizzard.  Paul announced that the cars were in place and not to be moved.   In suburbia, you pull your cars into wagon train formation in the driveway- protecting the driveway from snow accumulation.  The carless street allows the snow plow to scrape as close to the curb as it can. We live in Nassau so our streets get plowed.  Those who do not do the pre-storm car maneuver suffer shunning from the neighbors after the storm.
I did not go to the gym, I was actually too full of Christmas dinner-.perogies, kielbasa and roast pork to shift into exercise mode.  And then it began snowing 

 after a few minutes of the blizzard

Food Supplies 

On Sundays, Paul goes to King Kullen to get rolls, then to Starbucks for my latte and his sweet treat.  He is known in Starbucks as Carol's husband.  This pleases me immensely.  That is an evolution from hubby of grande non-fat latte girl.    He returns too quickly.  "The King Kullen line is out the door, around the block.  People have non-staples in  their carts."   "What do these fools have in their carts?" I ask.  "Potato chips. Beer. Dip."     Now I am afraid.   What did he get for provisions?  He proudly announces that  he has purchased 6 chicken meatballs from the Italian deli.     And what else?  "That's it."   THAT'S IT!!!!
Who even heard of chicken meatballs!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have no treats.   My idea of nourishment during a blizzard is everything a cardiologist would abhor.   Chips, cheese, anything with mayo, dips- woo hoo.   Not Paul's.  Then another scary question posed.  You won't be drinking wine will you?   I know this trick of the "negative leading question"  You naturally feel compelled to say "no"  you are led to the "no" 
I am supposed to reply "Me, drink wine, during a blizzard, of course not!!!

I guess our wine supplies are low.  It is the day after Christmas.

Water and dry food, no wine or chips

Liam is fine with food and drink  

Liam's Kong with cheese treat inside

he also needs no TV, Internet, or blackberry 

We got through the Sunday part of the blizzard with the chicken meatballs, some wine and spaghetti while the rest of the world gorges on leftover Christmas goodies and food gifts and snacks  purchased in supermarkets on blizzard day.   We (healthy eaters)  do not do such masochistic things.

Cablevision -Not

Liam checking on the blizzard

Monday dawned with snow still whirling. I am downstairs in the den with Liam.  Paul upstairs.   Yes, you all know we sleep separately, since I do not sleep easily, and Paul sleeps noisily.  Liam sleeps anywhere and everywhere but his love of heat dictates with whom he ends up.   He divides his time between us.  Summers in the hot unairconditioned upstairs with Paul. With the first blast of heat from the hot air vents he is back with me. In my fitful sleep wake-ups during the night I always look up at the cable box (is that the name?)  to check the time.  No time displayed this Sunday morning. The TV was dead.   No land line either (who cares)   But that also meant no Computer, no Internet access.  Cut off from the Cablevision world.   I have my blackberry, so I am connected by AT&T.   But Paul will be in trouble when he realizes.   No newspapers, no TV and we are hours away from taking cars out.   I break the news when he comes downstairs.  I knew what is coming.  No TV.  Then shoveling must commence.

Shoveling
We do not agree on this task.  I want to wait for groups of entrepreneurial folks with shovels to arrive and pay them.   Paul immediately wants to join the other men of the block (all candidates for stents or multiple bypass) and shovel. Some sort of male bonding or bromance.  He suits up in dusty Eddie Bauer gear. The shovel he picks looks like one used for grave digging- it actually has a point, a wooden handle  and weighs about 50 pounds.
No snow blower here.
I wait, then join in.
Liam shovels, using his tongue- see pix following

our snow measures 22 inches

Yummy, wet and cold

clearing a path

We finish.
The shovelers for hire show up soon after.

Kindle Revealed

Carol's Kindle in green case

Open Kindle

Paul is strictly a newspaper, TV, radio guy.  His cell phone is turned off except for emergencies.  Guess that would be an expected emergency. No TV for news-Cablevision knows there is an outage.  I announce the news as it comes in on my blackberry via tweets, FB posts and texts and emails.   I then bring out my secret Kindle   I have access to tons of reading material.  Why has the Kindle been  kept secret?  Paul does not like any gadgets. I knew not to say I was buying a Kindle- I would have heard  the question "Do you need that?"  
Yes.  My eye doctor recommended it.   He says I would not need my prescription changed as I could just make the font bigger.   Big Savings in  the long run. And I have the advanced Kindle- no Wi Fi necessary.
Paul accepts it, weakened from the shoveling and asks me to find him the Sunday sports.  I do.

Liam back left swimming through the fluffy snow

But the blackberry and Kindle do not have access to lattes.  I know I want one.  I suggest we walk with Liam to Starbucks.   Paul thinks it is too cold for Liam to be walking,  I disagree.   Liam leaps, run,

Liam running

rolls, dig in the snow

Liam digging

He can do it.
We walk, quite challenging and here we are

Starbucks Monday Dec 27 2010

Blizzard lessons learned

• Do  not allow Paul to blizzard shop alone  

• Ensure that wine and Sam Adams are in the house

• NEVER  shovel again.  Pay someone to do it.

And we are expecting more snow Friday, 1/7/11.  Not sure if the outer boroughs (those would be those frontier type places like Queens) are shoveled yet.  Mayor Mike does not like whining.
No whining here.
Just wine.

Liam is out for a stroll in the backyard.  Thinking.   No worries of shoveling, snacks, Internet, Kindles. So he  reflects. He knows that NYC suffered.   Their streets not plowed for days, some still just have room for one car at a time.  Now mountains of black garbage bags have replaced the snow or are on top of the snow.  People could not get to work, or to their doctors. Paws are now being pointed-fault must be found and blame assigned.

A reflective Liam on a stroll one week after blizzard

Liam says

"Don't fix the blame, fix the problem." 

Another chance tomorrow.
Work as a pack.
Mayor Mike could be the Pack leader.

Woof, woof