Snowpocalypse 2011 - Entry 1

January 9, 2010

At approximately 8 p.m., the first drizzles of sleet begin to fall outside my home. I have only been home about ten minutes as I finished my weekly journey to the laundromat. I had bought a few cans of soup, but not many other things to sustain me through what I assume will be a solitary snow day.

The snow piles up quickly. In just a few hours, there seems to be about six inches of snow piled up on the ground outside. I do not go outside to measure it though. I stay up late watching the snow, knowing that I will not have to work tomorrow. After midnight, a tow truck comes down the street with my neighbor's car. I watch as the tow truck tires spin as it struggles to maneuver into position at my neighbor's driveway.

January 10, 2010

All schools are canceled. I sleep late. In the afternoon, kids start sledding down the icy hill that was the street in front of my house. Others explore the snow in four wheelers. I watch as two four wheel drive vehicles successfully leave up the street. Later on I watch as a couple of vehicles do not make it up the hill and start slowly rotating around. They complete the rotation and go back down the hill to their homes.

I get out the bread to make a sandwich, but it is moldy. I decided to tear the bread into small pieces and toss it outside for the birds and squirrels to eat. I am amazed as each piece bounces on the snow and slides to a stop.

I am alone in my home, save for the dog. She refuses to go out into the snow. After several attempts, she finally does go down the three steps and there she stops, refusing to move. I go down to get her. I notice that the snow has a half inch thick crust of ice on it.

I am not feeling well and go to bed at halftime of the NCAA BCS championship game between Auburn and Oregon. I wake a few hours later with extreme pain in my ear. There is no pain medicine to be found in the house, but someone tells me to try a heating pad. I find a hot water bottle and sleep with it on my ear. It makes it tolerable for me to sleep.

January 11, 2010

I get a phone call that one of my employees made it into the office. Not that there is anything to do there. The economy has really affected our business. We essentially waste most of the work day doing nothing, because there is nothing to do.

Later I spy a blue jay eating the bread I had thrown out the day before.

I decide to make myself oatmeal for breakfast. It is old-fashioned oatmeal, but I make it in the microwave anyway. It turns out good. Who needs instant? I did discover that I do not have any regular sugar in the house though. I used some brown sugar. Oddly enough, I discovered 8 bottles of sprinkles.

After seeing a picture of a facebook friend shoveling the snow on his driveway, I decide to do the same. Mind you, I do not have a snow shovel. I find the best technique is to turn the shovel on its side and scrape the snow to the edge of the path I am creating.