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Monday, January 31, 2011

Winter Storm Warning

For the last few days we've been hearing that a winter storm was heading our way.  Now usually when we hear it's going to snow a lot in my town everyone kind of looks up at the sky, shrugs, and continues on their way.  Very rarely does a weather report for 6 inches of snow yield more than 2, and therefore many of us don't worry about it.

However.

The National Weather Service is calling for 5-6 inches of snow tonight through tomorrow morning, and then another whopping 8-11 tomorrow night, mixed in with some sleet.  Even if we got the minimum amount that's still a ton of snow.  I'm finding myself looking up to the sky, but I'm not shrugging this time.

I'm not worried about being snowed in (although I'm not thrilled with the idea).  What I'm more concerned with is a power outage.  I don't know enough about the appliances in our new house (okay let's be honest I wouldn't know enough about the appliances in any house) to know if our hot water heater and gas fireplace will work in the event that we lose electricity.  So let's hope the ice/sleet doesn't take out the power!

I have plenty of books to keep me company and enough leftovers to last me a few days should I need them to.  I'm getting the laundry and dishes out of the way tonight.  What else do I need to make a couple of snow days happy and not cabin-fever inducing?  What are your favorite things to do when you're snowed in?
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4 comments:

  1. JeaneJanuary 31, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Being snowed in is always a great time to read, but that gets dull for other family members. We like to do jigsaw puzzles, and pull out all the family board games.

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  2. AmyJanuary 31, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    Oh, board games are a great idea! I don't have a new puzzle yet, but that would be fun, too. Thanks for the suggestions!

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  3. Carin SiegfriedFebruary 1, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    The gas fireplace should still work although the starter may not. In my experience the biggest problem with a lack of power more than a couple of hours is food. Can't open the fridge (might lose cold and lose the food), and electric stove. Might you have a gas stove? Stock up on things that you could warm up without needing to refridgerate (soups!) and maybe get some Jiffy Pop! Be sure your cell phone is charged. Most modern land lines won't work in a power outage even if your phone lines aren't down. Cordless need electricity and even corded phones might not. I had one that worked - but wouldn't ring. But my old super-cheap crap phone from college worked perfectly.

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  4. AmyFebruary 1, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    Carin, I don't have a gas stove, unfortunately. However, I do have plenty of food that doesn't need to be taken out of the fridge or warmed up. And I did charge my phone earlier, thank goodness! I hope I don't need to use any of the precautions I've taken, but it's good to know I've done everything I can.

    Thanks for the tips!

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