WINTER STORM
The first storm of the winter arrive at noon yesterday. When I was a boy, 80 years ago, in Connecticut, I don’t remember knowing when snow was coming. It just happened. There would be a few flakes in the air and then more and more, swirling around. It was unexpected and magical.
But now we know, a week in advance. A winter storm is coming. The governors of every state where it might be coming declare emergencies, Ingles, our giant grocery store, is jammed with people buying milk and bread and other staples until the milk coolers are empty..
And then we wait, and wait. And often as not nothing happens, or we get a dusting. But before that the suspense is almost unbearable. This time when the first flakes arrived at noon, after being predicted for 2 p.m., there wasn’t a heavy snow, but later in the evening when the temperature was still below freezing, it began to rain. To the south and east of us, ice on the trees, breaking branches and pulling down power lines was forcast. To the north and west 3 to 6 inches of snow was predicted. We were right in the middle. We got a little bit of ice and a little bit of snow. The day afterward no one on our street has ventured out. It is Saturday so no one has to go to work or anywhere else.
But there is something about a storm that excites everyone. The one difference between being 87 and 17 is that when I was 17 I couldn’t wait to have an excuse to get out and test my driving. I couldn’t resist. Nothing frightened me. At 87 the thought of sliding in the ditch or getting stuck anywhere is enough to keep me right here even if I had a reason to go out.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 