Dodging An Ice Bullet

I'm off to my mother's to get her some food-stuffs.

There will be light snow starting at midnight Saturday - today - and the heavy snow begins Sunday PM, so I have to get there shop, do some other things I would have done Monday... because I wont be there Monday. It is going to be 14 below zero Monday night, and I have to take care of my own place with its own ice and snow.

My mother's place is very warm and tight. There are almost no drafts.
I will tell her to not go out an grab the mail by the front door; there will probably be no mail until Tuesday anyway.

I called her last night. She watches Cable news, so the weather news is slow getting to her.
I look at the Weather Underground or Unisys weather model maps, so I can get 10 days ahead.

Her first response was that everyone should go up to her place for however long the bad weather lasted, which I figured to be 2 to 3 days.
Well, she has no internet, and too much togetherness will undoubtedly drive us crazy. We've tried it, we know.

I said why did not she come down here? I could pick her up.
No, that was out of the question. All her stuff was there. I guess she figures we ain't got no stuff; we do not have favorite cozy beds and special coffees and teas for the morning and afternoon; we must also prefer mustards and condiments that have the date "2005" emblazoned on the bottles, as do hers.

"Hasn't killed me," she says.

Condiments from pre-barcode days are commonplace. I remember once there was something from the days before ingredients and nutritional info were listed. She still has a jar of powdered nutmeg we used for Christmas that is from her old house, so it is at least 17 years old. If you know what fresh nutmeg smells like, this smells like nutmeg, dust bunnies, and rust.

So I'll go, check and see if my brother needs anything, too. I might boogie before midnight. They say there will be a slow 3 inches by morning, and 3 inches - if there is any attempt at snow removal - is not bad. On New Year's Day there was 2 to 3 slow inches, but the municipalities weren't taking any responsibility seriously other than hangovers and football.
There was some effort, although I did not see any snow plows/salt truck trucks until later in the day. It was a slow drive, but do-able.
Last February there was a similar snow and the municipalities made NO effort until the snow was done. Maybe by February they had run low on funds. It was not enjoyable. From Oakland County into Detroit the I-75 was 6 lanes of cars going 5 mph. The ramps were iced. The surface streets were awful.
No road crews were anywhere on pavement.

I thought these were the workers and managers for the municipalities that were supposed to be getting cushy pensions... so, get it done!


All I ask is that you warn us.

There is that little band of news that runs along the bottom of the cable screen, telling us all the schools and academies that are closed on snow days. Add a notice:  All Municipalities Refuse To Get Off Their Duffs For Snow Control Until Further Notice! Drive At Your Own Risk!


--

ps.
I know driving in weather.
I drove 110 miles a day minimum on business days for 37 years, summer and winter. And our business was weather-sensitive.
You get to know weather conditions.