Big storm! We;re all gonna die! No wait, it won't be that bad. Oh no! It;s the end of the world now! Nah! It's just going to be a dusting...

Sometimes I'm ashamed to say I live around here. It happened again. Three or so days ago weather forecasters predicted a snow storm for this area. 6-10 inches. Then it was reduced to 4 to 6 inches. Suddenly it then became 8-10 inches. Then we all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the forecast changed to 0-3 inches. As of about 8 p.m. Sunday evening it was back to 6-8 inches. Monday morning it was still snowing and there was about an inch and a half on the ground. By noon the sun was out, the snow was melting. There was about an inch of snow on my car and the ground. 

Now back to Sunday. Arlene and I went out to run an errand to pick up some small rugs for her home. As we left the store I suggested that we make a meal of spaghetti and meatballs for supper, except I requested linguine. Neither Arlene nor I had any of the ingredients nor the desire to make a sauce from scratch but fortunately there was a supermarket in this shopping center. The lot was packed. The store was packed. I thought, these people can't be shopping because of the impending doom in the form of snow? We were there to buy some linguine, a particular sauce and some hamburger, all of which turned out tasty. There was a buzz in there air. Having worked in the supermarket business for 45 years there is a difference in the feel of a crowd between just a busy day and a impending snowstorm busy day. Come on people! Even if we did get 10 inches, annoying though it is, it doesn't mean to shelter in place, praying that your 4 loaves of bread and two gallons of milk will hold out until the end of the "snow event". Snow event? It sounds like something you have to buy tickets for. The milk aisle wasn't too bad but there was an undertone of foreboding in the bread aisle due to the upcoming snowmageddon.

At 5 a.m. this morning (Monday) they cancelled school. Now it was different when I was young. Sure we had snow days. Without fully slipping into "old fartdom" completely, we did have days when school was cancelled, but if you had just an inch or two of snow on the ground you went to school. What really is annoying to me are the weather forecasters, who have much more sophisticated equipment now, were all over the map on this. Watching a local station run a self promotional commercial about "having the most advanced Doppler radar in New England" and have them screw this forecast up royally.
As I write this sentence it, it is partly sunny and in the 40's. Not a beach day but pleasant enough for March. We have turned into a bunch of weenies around here. Calling off school because of, at best, 2 inches of snow. If I were a weather forecaster and I wasn't sure of the outcome of a snow situation, I would say so. They kept giving their forecasts, which would change radically within a few hours. That's what happens around here. A month ago we went from 70 degrees one day to 9 below within a couple of more days. It's a tricky place.

Due to my moving situation, and Arlene's new job situation, if we get to go to you know where this year it will have to be after June 20th. It will be the latest in the spring, on the cusp of summer, we have gone and more than likely the only time we will go this year. We will miss going early as the crowds are light and you can pretend you're there alone. It's very quiet. 

We are both adjusting to the semi retired life. I'm not complaining. Working 3 days as opposed to 5 or 6 days a week is an improvement though the money is not what once was but I am lucky to have saved and have the stock market come back after 2008. 

Politics is one step away from this.

       I'm outta here.