The Ice Storm Cometh!

I'd planned to sit and chat with you this morning. I've got a talk about heroes, heroines and their occupations going through my head but that's going to have to stay put until another time.

You see, the northeast is under an Ice Storm/Winter Storm Watch. Warning. Whatever. Every channel has dire predictions flashing in orange, red and pink across the television screen. Schools have all cancelled classes. Snowplows are already scattering that ice-melting mix on streets even though nothing's fallen from the sky yet. They're getting ready. They know it's going to come at us full force.

Me? I know it too. I can just tell. Even if I couldn't feel it in my bones, there's my garbageman's behavior. He's just picked up our trash--three hours early. In the dark. And after he tossed our refuse in his truck, he didn't bother to walk back to the edge of our driveway to return our recyclables bin. Instead, he stood in the center of the road and tossed the bin toward our lawn. It almost made it. Almost, but not quite. No, anyone coming round the corner too quickly would have surely crunched over the green bin so I've just come back inside. Yes, I donned my snowboots and down jacket over my pink polka dotted fleece pajamas, slid down the slippery-as-an-ice-floe driveway and retrieved the recyclable bin.

And you thought a writer's life was a glamorous one, didn't you? Ha!

Anyhow, back to the weather, and away from the mind picture I've just given you all of a silly woman in spotted pj's sliding down a slopey drive...

I feel like the television stations should just flash "Hold on to your britches! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" and be done with it.

Downed trees, power outages, ice, snow, sleet, a messy commute and cold, dark day. The funniest thing is that I love living here in Snow World, love the excitement and adventure of cold winters followed by beautiful, if short, summers. Let's not forget the balmy spring breezes or riot of autumnal colors that we're graced with in the northeast. Yeah, I love it all. Even days like this one. Maybe especially days like this because once the storm's passed we're going to have a lot to talk about, for a long, long time.

But now? I've got to dash. Got to lay wood in the fireplace, make a hearty breakfast and check the generator. Next time we'll talk about writerly things. Today I've got a storm coming and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!