January and Snow

DUKES FANS: In my last newsletter I talked about the quiet mornings and the wonderful skies of January. This week we see the other side of January, and it is not so pleasant. It has been about a decade since this area has had a doble digit snowfall, and we are generally freaking out in trying to prepare for the 10-12 inches of snow forecasters are expecting. There have been long lines at hardware stores, grocery stores, and mall stores all week There have been shortages of snow salt, shovels, and other winter gear. Milk and eggs are also in short supply. This has been a multi-day attempt to prepare for the coming storm. In my West Mt Airy neighborhood people have been working together to meet the threat. Folks have compiled lists of young folks who would be willing to shovel sidewalks and clean off cars. There are dozens of folks with dogs in the area, and people have been sharing info about where to get pet safe snow salt and ice melt to meet the anticipated snow amounts we will get. Two neighbors who saw me getting the paper today checked to see if I have someone to shovel (I do) and if I needed them to run to the store for me (I didn’t). I love the way we look out for each other here. We, of course, have no way of knowing exactly how big this storm will be. But accept that it will most probably be a big one. Be prepared; have batteries, fully charged phones, flashlights, and at least two days of food. And check in with elderly neighbors and relatives. I hope we can all get through fairly well through these next few days.