I used to like that song but not anymore. When I say or sing (well I attempt it from time to time) that I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, I don't mean it literally. After all I'm DREAMING!
The other day all those dreams became reality when we got hit with a winter storm that dumped 1/4 inch of sleet and then added about 5 inches of snow on top of it. So it was snowy and slick and cold. Temps stayed in the teens or low 20's and even dropped down to single digits one night.
I made sure the heat was on enough and opened the cupboard doors so it could reach the pipes to keep them from freezing up. I've had a heater going in the shed on the washer since last Thursday night and still not able to get out there to check on it. I'm not sure it is still going or not.
We had some wind with the snow so it has drifted in front of one door so I'm not able to get it open and I noticed it drifted in front of the shed doors as well. It blew so hard and came down so fast and furious that even my car parked in the carport was covered from rear to front in snow the following morning. The poor outdoor kitties had sought shelter in the carport and on the screened in porch and survived but their bowls were full of snow so had to be emptied before I could feed them.
Right now, I'm housebound and have been since this hit on Thursday night and this is Sunday night and I'm about to go stir crazy. I only go out on the carport to feed the kitties and make sure they have water which freezes quickly but at least they do get some. I've let Foxy out and she has made a path and found a place in which she can relieve herself but she doesn't go far and doesn't stay out for long periods either.
So while I've been cooped up, I've got some of my inside Christmas decorating done, watched TV and took naps. Nothing else to do. I was prepared in case we did have an ice storm as got the generator in place and bought the gas for it but thank goodness I didn't need it. I had cooked up some food just in case I wouldn't have the power to use the electric range. I could always reheat it in the microwave.
I'm not a scrooge when it comes to snow, I just don't like it. As a kid I enjoyed it as all kids do. I used to stay out until I was almost frozen, sledding, building snowmen, having snowball fights and whatever kids do in the snow. I lived and grew up in southwest Iowa and in the 50's we used to get some pretty measurable amounts of snow. It wasn't unusual to see 3 to 4 feet or as high as the fence tops.
But as I got older, it became a hazard and a pain. The scraping of car windows, driving on slippery roads and the cold that just seems to invade the bones and keeps a person cold until the spring thaw.
I really thought I lived far enough south that I wouldn't be seeing this kind of weather but I've discovered in the past 10 years or more that the south is just as vulnerable as the northern states and of course we aren't as prepared so it makes for an even miserable experience and especially if a person lives in a small town or rural area as I do. I chose to live here but never thought I would have to fight the elements of winter weather this way.
So the next time I hear that song about dreaming, I'm changing the words to I hope we don't have a White Christmas.
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