On Saturday, we joined the masses and bought up necessities at the grocery store. As a family that eats outside of the home regularly (restaurants, at school, at work, etc), we had food but we didn't have full meals. We planned for chili, tacos, lasagna, pizza, chicken, eggs and bacon, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, baked potatoes.
It started snowing on Sunday morning. Church was cancelled. I enjoyed taking pictures of the accumulating snow throughout the day. In the end, we got around a foot of snow.
Then came the temperature change. The temp stayed around 30-32 on Sunday. Then it started to drop. By Monday morning, it was -10 with a wind chill of -40. School wasn't going back until Jan 7 so that wasn't a concern. Both of our workpalces ended up staying closed as all the area counties were under travel warning - meaning don't be on the road unless it is a true emergency.
I haven't been outside of my home since Saturday evening. My husband and kids haven't been outside of our house aside from a little playing or a lot of shoveling on Sunday.
We are on day 3 of being locked in, snowed in, frozen in together. Just the 4 of us.
We did fine for 2 days. Not much drama or snippiness. Some. But not a lot.
Today might be different. Today we might be tired of the movies and video games and barbies and action figures and games. Today we might be done with cooking and washing dishes and folding laundry and cleaning out closets.
Today might be the day we turn on each other.
Which makes me wonder about other families. Families that have been on the verge of falling apart... does this situation make it worse? Or do they find something of value in their family and find a reason to forge on? Do people find that they have a will or desire to help people that they didn't know they had before? Do neighbors show their true colors by snow blowing the sidewalks for everyone - or by snowblowing for everyone except one or two? Or only snowblowing for themselves?
These are the kinds of situations where true colors come out. Do we open our homes and businesses and such in order to help others? Or do we seal in? Do we stay indoors and out of the way of emergency responders and road crews? Or do we brave the elements and make ourselves go to work?
I'm blessed to be able to just watch from my window. To be indoors. To have a furnace and pipes and a water heater that are functioning without issue. To have a home filled with food. To have movies and games and books and entertainment. To be safe and warm.
By this weekend, there will be 40 degree temps and rain. Which will mean flooding. Which will mean a whole new round of issues and troubles.
But for now... we're frozen in for another day.
1 comment:
I wish that I had been frozen in. But I work at a hospital and those never close, even with wind chills to -50.
My boys have been on each other's nerves for the last several months, so I was worried about the long winter break and the continued days away from school. But actually, as the break went on and they spent more time together, they actually got along better and better.
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