Getting ready for a storm....

[CarlaWVgal]

I'm in the mid atlantic, and it seems the whole north east is in for a good snow this weekend.

It shouldn't be too bad here, 8-10 inches, maybe 12. A good day shoveling and it will be back to normal, just messier. But I always prepare as if the power will go out. So I'm making snacks in case I can't cook, making sure the emergency water is fresh and theres lots of wood for the fire inside. Got to pick up mittens for the kids to play outside, and will mix up some cocoa mix to warm the kids up. And make sure the laundry is done, playing in snow always involves changing clothes.

So what do you all do to get ready?

Carla

[perennial]

Well,

I'm going to our farmstand Store to get some fresh veggies and fruit, bringing in
lots of wood and putting some near the door outside. Go to the movie rental place and get fresh movies, laundry, etc. I think i'm going to buy a small turkey while i'm out that'll heat up the kitchen nicely and the soup will be great for the weekend snow!

It's only 3 degrees here, our high will be 12 today. I'm hoping for lots and lots of snow! They are not sure where the heaviest snow will fall on the coast of MA. My mom says the moon is right and the tides so it will be wild here and it's a Nor'easter and they can be very unpredictable bad storms! I love the snow, but not this artic air.

[RandB]

We're supposed to get anywhere from 6-12 inches tomorrow. Today is my normal grocery shopping day (the stores will probably be a mess, ten times the usual people )

I will also go to the feed supply store today, which we usually do on Saturday. That means a lot of driving today, in two different vehicles ! Last night we went and filled the gas cans for the tractor and snowblower. Tonight when DH gets home, we will have to get all the feed unloaded from the truck & put away, since the snow is coming early tomorrow, in addition to the usual chores.

At least it is coming on a weekend, so we won't have to worry about getting to work, and have time to dig out. When we get deep snow, it takes about a whole day to make paths everywhere - around the house for the dogs to walk (we have an elderly dog who can't walk in deep snow anymore), path from house to farm bldgs, paths between the bldgs, sometimes a path for sheep to the water tub (if snow is too deep for them) and of course we have to clear the snow out of the chicken yard, or they won't come out of the coop - the birds don't like frozen tootsies !
We are very thankful that we got a snow-blower last year - it makes the above mentioned jobs SO much easier for us older folks !! This year we have a tractor with a plow for the first time, and I think DH is itching to try it out !

[BCR]

Let's see, I'm in WV too and have been watching it approach...I have a big old chicken thawing for dinner tonight. My niece and her friend are coming out early to get snowed in for the weekend (they didn't have school today). So I picked up some snacks I don't usually have in the house for the teens.

I unthawed my shed lock yesterday and have my snow shovel out and ready. Sleds are easy to access too. I keep my food supplies topped off regularly so that isn't an issue. I think I might have the kids pick up a movie for us old folks, unless one they are bringing sounds good. Otherwise I am cleaning the house in preparation for guests. And thinking about what tasty dinner side dishes to make, biscuits are sounding good right now!

i am thinking about changing my car emergency bag however. I need to update it and be sure everything is there.

[Quint]

I haven't been ready for winter at all this year. I just can't get caught up on the work I need to get done. I need about another 6 weeks of warm weather to get everything done.

Time sure seems to go faster the older one gets. When I was 16 a week seemed to last a month and now at 33 it is over before it starts.

[Old Jack]

I made sure I have plenty of diesel for the tractor and that the blade is on it.
I have a big 'ol deer roast marinating in the fridge.
I'll go up and check the dryer on my gas well and blow off any fluids.

[Blackthorne]

Just doing the usual here in SW WI. We are looking for 8 to 10" today thru tomorow.- This on top of the 8" already on the ground, which is sitting on top of an earlier 1/2" of ice that never melted; Woo-Hoo!!! Will stop at the grocer on the way home. Plenty of food in the house, tractor is plugged in to feed cattle this afternoon, and horse stalls are clean and ready for them. The kids don't have school today, so the boys will bring in extra firewood. Will likely spend the weekend shoveling and cooking!

[fourangels]

Originally Posted by CarlaWVgal

I'm in the mid atlantic, and it seems the whole north east is in for a good snow this weekend.

It shouldn't be too bad here, 8-10 inches, maybe 12. A good day shoveling and it will be back to normal, just messier. But I always prepare as if the power will go out. So I'm making snacks in case I can't cook, making sure the emergency water is fresh and theres lots of wood for the fire inside. Got to pick up mittens for the kids to play outside, and will mix up some cocoa mix to warm the kids up. And make sure the laundry is done, playing in snow always involves changing clothes.

So what do you all do to get ready?

Carla

We are getting ready for the same storm here in CT.Depends on who you listen to we may only get away with 6 inches or so. We are still preparing in case power goes out, got extra water, made sure the propane tank on the gas grill is full. (Great source to cook on) Also checked the big propane tank for the house and in general getting as many meals ready to just heat up. Plenty of firewood inside too. Hey I can only hope that all of these guys are wrong but I doubt it. Filled the tank on the snow plow too.

Ron

[mikell]

Well here id SW Michigan dead in the bulls eye it's sunny and the winds out of the SE go figure.

mikel;l

[perennial]

The latest weather report said 12-16" for our area. Atleast maybe it will warm
up - it's 4 degrees here!

[Cosmic]

Well it is the same as always. Had a lot more snow in Boston than we normally get this year.

Got to go get some butter and maybe a little beer. Sunny now. Always have to shovel during the storm when it is powderly and light. On the typical rain / snow line for the coast and it usually changes to rain, sleet, hail or falling anteaters and becomes a mess.

Might have to put boots / chains on my old pup too. Has four paw drive but lately gets snow between the toes and won't go, holds the foot up. Real dandy when two feet become broken, just lays down. Packing pounds of pooch thru the snow is hard work. Been putting temporary props in my woodpile to hold up the plywood coverings as I tunnel thru the pile, getting heavy with all that snow on top.

Going to be glad to be leaving here. Sick of neighbors who think somehow I should be their on call snow removal service. Snowplow driver lives on my street so street is usually one of the best around.

[Cheri in NY]

It's a balmy 1 above zero here as we speak. Our local waetherbug says 2' of snow on Saturday for us....how could we miss it by that much?

[perennial]

Cosmic,

I'm jelous you get to leave this state - we are a 1-2 years away from that!

[~Misha]

Dh stopped at the wally world last night to get sugar etc and said the bread and milk, cereal were flying off the shelves. People aren't waiting for the first snowflake any more are they??

4-8 inches forecasted for the eastern panhandle WV area beginning midnight tonight thru sat midnight. Currently 24 degrees.

[BamaSuzy]

It is beautiful and sunny here in north central Alabama this morning but they are predicting extreme cold (at least for here!) tomorrow night and a 60% chance of snow flurries.

We've washed all the clothes, including bed clothes, and have them drying on the clothes line; had our propane tank refilled yesterday; still have plenty of wood for the wood heater; and will pick up more hay for the bunnies and goats as I go to town this afternoon.

[milkstoolcowboy]

Have all the fixins for fudge.

I remember a terrible snow storm here in late January or early February of 1956. About 2 feet of snow fell and that the temp dropped and the NW wind started to blow.

My wife was away visiting her sister in the cities, so it was just me and the hired man. Couldn't drive home. We'd been snowed in a couple days. We were still selling milk in cans at the time, and we had every can we had full. Figured we'd have to dump milk in the morning. Well, me and the hired man were playing cards and just shooting the breeze, wondering when we would ever get plowed out. Only loader tractor I had was a C Farmall. We had just started to make some fudge on the range when we saw the lights of the maintainer top the hill east of our place. I grabbed my coveralls and coat and headed down the driveway. We'd been shoveling out the driveway for the milk truck, but we had a long ways to go. I got to the road as the maintainer was just about at the driveway, and told him: "You must be awful cold in here, probably could use something to eat? Why don't you just drive up with the maintainer and sit a spell?" He said he'd get in trouble if he was plowin' driveways, so I said, "We just made fudge."

He pulled in, plowed out that driveway and we went in and drank/spooned some fudge and fried up some bacon and eggs. Neighbors couldn't figure out how we got our driveway cleared.

[perennial]

We share a 200 foot driveway that branches off to a "Y". We used to have to have it plowed, but my neighbor got a free snowblower and does it everytime we have snow - our section also upto the cars. I do the salt and sand in the long stretch.

He doesn't mind doing it and he and his wife LOVE the freshly baked bread i send over all the time. Whenever i bake you would think it was for an army!

I guess good food can be the answer!

[Irish Pixie]

It's a bit nippy at zero with a -15 windchill here in Broome County. We're only supposed to get 10-12" hardly enough to start the snow blower. I'm going to the feed store but only because I'm low on beet pulp. Would have had to go storm comin' or not.

We are bringing wood in from the barn tho.

Stacy

[Cabin Fever]

What we do to get ready for a foot of snow? GAS UP THE SNOWMOBILES! Yee Haw!

[Shagbarkmtcatle]

Excuse me but 10-12 inches is a MAJOR snowstorm here. It means get out the fourwheeler and plow. We have no snow right now, we just had our first snow on Wednesday of 1" and I still managed to wreck the mini van coming down the neighbors switchback mountain driveway. Into a tree. That was to avoid going off the cliff. I do not drive in snow if I can avoid it. Mostly I avoid it. It's almost impossible to get off the mountain when it snows. And minivans don't do snow either. They are worthless.

Laura Lynn