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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

SNOW AND HYSTERIA


Christmas came and went in what seemed like one fell swoop and January arrived a little too fast but with weather that was comforting—comforting until last week. Last Thursday it was cold and around 10 a.m. the snow started falling quickly: All in all it was about two inches but the snow stuck to streets and interstates causing wreck after wreck. Ice had developed underneath the white covering.

Luckily I had decided to go the grocery store at 8 that morning as I heard the weather forecast—which I felt sure was right—and I wasn’t alone: The grocery store lot was full. Thank heavens I found one parking place. Dashed in with my short list and grabbed what I needed and finally made it out of a long checkout line to my car. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten more food but hysteria can unnerve you so that you not only feel the rush, your adrenaline is in high gear. Mine was definitely. Big time.

That evening I watched television and heard the worst weather forecast for the next day which in essence was “A big snowstorm is on the way; be prepared.” I ran around like a mad person replacing worn out batteries in every single LED item I had, making coffee and putting it in a thermos, cooking soup and the like, going downstairs and dragging up the snow shovel and was prepared for the worst. The first worst in my case is having no electricity for it has happened before when big snowstorms have hit my area. And the second worst was the fear of being trapped inside with tons of snow outside.

Eventually I went to sleep after thoughts of the impending storm were on my mind: I am so guilty of thinking “What if?” but then many are in a bad weather prediction.

My sleep did not last long for hysteria had set in: I got up and stood guard over the television’s weather station and the windows in my house. And then I saw the snow start as it normally does little by little but it picked up speed and became ferocious blowing sideways. The wind was whipping around anything and everything. Within half an hour, my front yard was covered as was the street and my car. This was Friday morning and the snow was relentless for 26 hours; it blanketed every single thing and by Saturday evening it finally ceased.

During those 26 hours I had opened the storm door a gazillion times to sweep snow off of my porch, which was actually ridiculous for no sooner had it been swept, than it was covered up again.  That was totally fruitless so I gave up. The last time I peered out the window the snow was almost to the top of my split rail fence. The snow hadn’t been that deep here since 1978 for I remember that blizzard all too well and the snow was heavy and hung around for two weeks.

If there were anything good about getting almost 19 inches of snow, it was that it was a fluffy and not heavy. But no matter, it was impossible to maneuver once outside anywhere so I gave up and came back inside covered with snow. Another saving grace was that the power had not gone off—yet-- and I held my breath on that one for having no power in a snowstorm with frigid weather has to be the worst thing other than the opposite of not having power in excessive hot weather. Hot weather was not on my mind at all; having power was. And with lighter snow although deep, the worry of roof collapsing went out of my mind for it has happened here in the past with too many houses and places of business. Couldn’t help but think of it though.

It is now day six of looking at a snow mess. Oh the plow truck came more than once and dug a trench in the middle of my street and the surrounding ones but the piled up snow on the sides is still there. The snow is melting slowly as yesterday we had a steady rain and a higher temperature but the day was gray and hazy. Snow still blanketed too many areas.

It’s frigid again and the melted snow has turned to ice in many places but I haven’t ventured out to make sure of that point: I watched the forecast on television and saw the updates for today—snow flurries. Swell. Only hoping that it is flurries I see instead of snow.

Everyone around me has been in the same quagmire: Stuck inside or digging frantically to get the car out and trying to maneuver around the piles of snow to go to work or just go anywhere.  As for me, I have been stuck here although I have ventured out with my dog many times and just doing that wore me out even if my dog loved it. I am the victim of my own hysteria for I will not drive in the one lane path and have to veer off into a huge snow pile to let another car pass me. Been there, done that and it wasn’t what anyone would call fun at all.

Snow does produce hysteria if a blizzard decides to drop 19 inches of in a matter of 26 hours. There is only so much I decided to do and pacing was at the top of my list; I have painted, written stories, seen people, fidgeted, cooked, cleaned off stacked up areas in this house and am worn out. Am I alone in my doings and feelings? Extremely doubtful.

I can’t wait for the warm weather this weekend.

A long while back, I used to think that snowstorms were fun and enjoyed being outside in them but not now. Just the thought of another one sets my anxiety level up to an all-time high. And rest assured we will get more snow for it is just approaching the end of January. I only hope I’m just as prepared as I was this time but one thing is a given: Snow has a partner: Hysteria.

Sherry Hill

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Sherry Hill

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