I hate snow. Anyone who’s known me for more than 5 minutes knows that I hate snow with a burning hatred that I reserve for few things. There are many reasons for this hatred – one of them is the hours long coverage of these events as if OMG we’re all gonna die, we’ve never seen a snowflake before, the roads are currently wet but in five minutes, nope, they’re still wet!
When I was a kid (yes, I’m old, cue the “get off my lawn” comment) the weather was a five minute – if that long – segment of the news. (Of course, back then the news was actually news and not what the media wanted you to believe).
I’m not sure when exactly it changed, or why. I remember when I moved to PA thinking that people sure made a bigger deal out of snow than they did in Upstate NY, where I had lived all my life. I went to college in Oswego, on Lake Ontario, where blizzards were frequent, snow that wasn’t measured in feet wasn’t worth a mention, and we rarely missed classes. If we did, we still managed to make the trek into town to hit the liquor stores and the bars, which never closed. Granted, we were kids, we were young and stupid, but no one panicked – not the professors, not the administration, not the police, not the people who lived in the town.
If you didn’t have to go out – except for liquor – you stayed home. You didn’t need three or four days to “prepare for the storm!” because anyone with common sense has enough food to last a few days, and if you live in an area where you get snow, you should know to have water and an alternate source of heat. You know to have a vehicle that will go through snow, or you stay home. You also learned to drive in this shit – get off the brakes, get off the ass of the car in front of you and slow down. And turn your damned lights on.
We’re supposed to get 10 inches today and another 6, maybe, tomorrow. A week ago, my weather app – which I have so I know how to dress for the park in the morning – said that we were going to get 41 inches today. Umm, yeah, that’s a good bit of snow, might be cause for concern there except it’s a week out and no one gets it right that far out. No one. As the days rolled on, it went down to 24 inches, then up to 31, down to 6 (that was my favorite) and finally settled last night.
It was supposed to start at 10, so Maverick and I toddled off to the park, dressed in 5000 layers (another reason I hate winter, I hate feeling constricted) and walked one loop because when we got to the car it was starting and I’d rather not be on the road in snow. I feel that way mostly because of other drivers, but also because I have the driveway from hell and I try not to have to navigate it when it’s snow covered.
So Bear has the news on. It’s an hour program, and I think that 45 minutes has been devoted to the storm. We got the requisite Covid update (we’re all gonna die unless you never leave your house again) and the requisite “baseless accusations of fraud” minute (try watching one of the hearings and tell me there’s no basis for fraud allegations, but I digress) and then it was weather. We now know how the plow drivers plan, how they inspect the plows, how much salt and sand is available, how horrible a person you are if you pass a plow (no, you’re not horrible, but you ARE an idiot) and a whole lot more than I really care about. (I would have turned it off, Bear has a death grip on the remote, so I’m just trying to ignore it)
THEN, I hear the announcer say that we should all “shelter in place” this afternoon. Umm, are you serious? We are supposed to be THAT afraid of snow that we “shelter in place?” To me, that phrase means something really really serious is happening, like the country has been attacked, or there’s an axe murderer in the woods behind my house! (I seriously think there is one back there, but that’s another story)
I knew there was something wrong when we were told that we can’t go outside without a mask because of a virus that has a huge recovery rate. I wondered how people became so easily frightened. Now we’re to hide in our homes because of a snowstorm, one that our grandparents, or great grandparents, would have simply saddled up a horse, hooked up the sleigh and gone on about their days till it was over. What the hell has happened to us? Do I want those days back, of candles and fireplaces and frigid homes and lack of indoor plumbing? No, I don’t, but I sure wish we could recapture the courage and strength they had.
We are willing to believe that we’re going to die from a virus that for some is indeed deadly, and for others no worse than a bad cold. We’re willing to believe that the government knows better than we do what’s best for us. (They don’t, and if you think they care about you, think again, they care that you’ll keep them in power). We’re willing to believe that we can’t survive a simple snowstorm without someone telling us exactly what to do because hey, why think for yourself?
I’m tired. I’m tired of people not using the brains they were born with. I’m going to quilt and clean today and maybe bake something. Yeah, I am. I figured that out all by myself without anyone telling me what to do.
Stay home, stay safe, die slowly in fear. Or go live. You choose.
Suziecreamcheese Sings the Blues 
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Soft times make for soft men. Soft men make for hard times. It seems that we’re headed for some seriously hard times.
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It just astonishes me – I fear snow for a lot of reasons but I fight that fear every time I hear there’s a storm coming. I prepare by doing any errands I have to do before it hits because that’s common sense. I’m the one who’s shaking with snow anxiety and saying, “it’s a couple of days, people!” I fear for the future when it’s the old farts are stronger than the young ones.
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“Fortius semper quam reddet senex est puer crepitu.”
–Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC)
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Do you have any idea how many years ago I took Latin? I got an A but it’s been a looooong time!
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Really? I heard that was the language in use during your formative years.
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Nope, I’m older than that
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My school report card was carved on rocks in Sumerian script.
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this does not surprise me
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No place on Earth is more weather-phobic than Southern California. The lightest sprinkle of rain activates every news channel to launch STORM WATCH replete with doppler radar mounted on fancy vehicles (“Storm Ranger 1”). A half inch brings dire mutterings about the potential flood and impending watery apocalypse. Because any moisture brings up oils on the freeway, the evening news has its choice of hundreds of fender benders caused by idiots speeding on slick surfaces. God forbid there would be snow. The death toll would number in the thousands. There wouldn’t be any time left on the news programs for the mandatory 100 stories about a food drive organized by a 3 year old, entirely on her own!!! We had a local expression in Hawaii for the wuss-puss among us – they were called “panty.” As in, “nice guy but he’s such a panty.”
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My great niece moved from NY to AZ many years ago. She told me about going somewhere with friends, and it started to snow. They absolutely panicked – she told them to pull over and let her drive and they couldn’t stop telling her what a wonderful driver she was. She said to me, “Auntie. It was less than an inch of snow.” We hooted.
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Yup. Snow = panic. Out here we’ve got these guys with a Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel and 35″ off road tires with 4×4 and they creep along like they are in imminent danger of falling off the road OR we’ve got an 18 year old in a Civic with bald tires going 85 down the highway from the ski resort.
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Pretty much the same here but they think that AWD is gonna save their butts on ice too.
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“All Season Radial Tires”
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My folks are less afraid of the virus than most young people…and they are serious old farts.
When it comes to snow, why are people worrying? We’ve been working from home all year. Are they afraid the commute from the kitchen to the spare bedroom will be unplowed?
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Well, that’s a very good question! I’m finding that most older people are less afraid of this virus but maybe it’s because we’ve just seen more? I have no clue. I hate snow because my driveway is horrible and I worry that not only can we not get out if necessary but no one can get in if we need them.
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Travel by drone?
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I love reading your posts. It’s as if my thoughts appear on your blog. My husband and I had a long conversation at dinner with our 17 year old son about the Blizzard of ‘78. His school canceled the next two days of in person school more than 12 hours before a flake has fallen. We called everyone wimps.
I am disgusted by the media, politicians and honestly, anyone who can’t see the massive election fraud. It is a disgrace.
I hope you enjoyed your time quilting:)
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I got a good bit of reading and cleaning and quilting done! I’m so glad you enjoy my rants!
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I love it!! Now let me go think for myself how I REALLY feel.
P.S. I still love snow (because I’m capable of thinking for myself).
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I still love you even though you don’t love Princess Bride and you do love snow. Which shows that you do think for yourself!
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I agree!!! I remember walking to school in 6 inches of snow by myself!! It was winter… that’s what it does! ❤️❤️❤️
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was it uphill both ways? Snort!
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We received 8 inches of the 12-18 inches predicted. Not a big deal for us now that we are both retired. I think the Weather Channel changed “normal” weather into a freak show way back in the 1980s. We got rid of our cable years ago and do not regret it at all. We listen to the weather on a scanner and look at the radar online if needed.
I grew up in western PA so snow was a common thing in the winter. I did walk to school up hill both ways in sunshine, rain, snow, and sleet. My house was on one side of the hill and the school was on the other side!
I have been a grump since the election. And anyone who doesn’t think there was fraud, must have their head in the sand (or someplace else where the sun don’t shine).
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I agree – I also worked with a guy who was the meteorologist for one of the local stations and he told me that they were basically told to hype the weather for ratings. I asked him about snow one day and he said, “understand that measurable snow is 1/4 of an inch” – well, yes it is.
And their heads are up CNN – I cannot believe all the shit that’s going on and people are so blase about it all.
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