Cozy and Warm

Stayed home and made a pot of homemade chili while waiting for a winter storm to pay us a visit.  So far it looks like it is going to miss us.  It has rained for the last two days, but we haven't seen any icy weather and I'm glad of that.  An ice storm is beautiful beyond words, but icy slippery roads, fallen trees and downed power lines make life challenging to say the least.  Since an ice storm in 1994 trapped me in and left me without electricity for 17 days, I have made it a point to always be ready.  I was single and alone at that time, but I was younger and thought it was great fun.  My phone worked, I had plenty of firewood for the wood stove, food to eat, and my dog Rocky by my side.  I had a chainsaw, but like always I could never get that thing started by myself so I called the men who delivered my firewood and they cut me out after about 5 days.  They actually had to cut their way in to where I was.  Once out I taxi'd my girl friends around since their vehicles were of no use to them.  The interstate got closed down and I volunteered as an unpaid waitress for one evening for motorists who got stranded and saw the lights of the restaurant on where I was eating and stopped in to get warmed up.  It got so over-crowded with travelers and only one waitress because the other waitresses couldn't make it in to work.  Two of us felt sorry for the only waitress, so we got up from our seats and began taking orders and serving drinks.  I have a great appreciation for waitresses now.  I had never done that before or since.  I know it's against all health regulations, but it was in an emergency situation.

Maybe I should have titled this post:  Memories From My Past or Ice Storm Stories

Just another quick memory.....

in 1987 right after my grandson Matthew was born we had another very beautiful ice storm.  I had been in the hospital all afternoon and night with my youngest daughter and it was now time for me to go home.  She was in a hospital in Richmond and my daughter's husband was to follow me to Berea, just to make sure that I got there safely, but he thought I was taking U.S. 25 home and I took I-75 instead.   I thought he was right behind me all the way and felt so safe and didn't even worry about sliding, getting stuck or anything, because I knew he would be there to help me.  It was snowing really hard, great big beautiful snowflakes, a regular whiteout and you couldn't see anything.  As I approached Berea it stopped snowing and that's when I saw how beautiful everything looked, like a winter wonderland with ice crystals glistening in every tree branch and bush.  It was breathtaking.  I waited for my daughter's husband for a little while and then went on home and called him to make sure he made it safely home.  He had,  and that's when we discovered that we had taken different routes home and he wasn't behind me after all and I wasn't in front of him either.  My daughter had given him STRICT ORDERS TO FOLLOW ME HOME AND MAKE SURE I GOT HOME SAFELY.  We just laughed and debated on whether to tell my daughter that we got separated just after we left the door of the hospital.  I still laugh when I think about it.  

I have plenty of ice storm stories, but they're all memories from my past.  We don't get many ice storms or snow much anymore.