PARTING SHOT: Surviving the blizzard of '24

No, it wasn’t full – I’ve been chipping away at it for the better part of a week – but it did show how desperate I’ve become during the Snowstorm (nay, Blizzard) of ’24.

Yes, I’ve moved on to chocolate chips and, if necessary, I’ll eat the truffles I got two years ago and hid in the back of my freezer.

That’s the joy of bad weather. You can be desperate enough to eat everything you ignored since the last time you hunkered in.

In my refrigerator, I now see burritos, some mystery meat and an iceberg of leftovers that I can’t identify. I also have six cans of green beans, two cans of baked beans and some baking powder.

I have lots of pasta (why, I don’t know) but I figure I can always scour for a hunk of cheese and make mac and cheese. There is no milk, however, so I’m not vouching for the consistency.

My Coca-Cola stash is down to one bottle and three expired cans. I’m out of peanut butter and I doubt the jar spoon I got at the fair would have cleaned the Skippy container any better than I did during a moment of desperation.

Because I am currently in a stand-off with my thermostat (it thinks it needs to go down to 65; I don’t), I don’t have the wherewithal to wash clothes. That’s not really a problem, however, because I’ve worn two pairs of sweatpants over the course of seven days. Showering, thankfully, is also not a problem. I have found it’s invigorating to stand in a warm shower for more than 30 minutes. Switching into a new sweatshirt and the “other” pair of sweatpants, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Napping started out to be a pastime but that just cut into my night sleep, so I’ve avoided the urge and now find other tasks to keep me going. If this weather holds up, I’ll have my taxes done by Thursday.

Before you start to judge, I must admit I haven’t updated my Christmas card list, inventoried my decorations or begun an early shopping list.

I did get out to mail two packages (which were supposed to be for LAST Christmas) but the snow started in again and I barely made it up my driveway.

I peeked at my outside vent so it’s not covered with snow and realized a snow rake for my roof might be a good investment. I also think the gutters could be ready for replacement. (Note to self: Check out gutters at home show in February.)

Inside, I’ve discovered I can make a door draft stopper just by filling up plastic grocery store bags with other grocery store bags. It looks a little wonky but, yes, it does the trick.

I know the “Little House on the Prairie” family battled snow like this and I’m sure there was a year we had to exit our house through a second-floor window, but this year’s storm was a real surprise.

After years of fairly mild winters, we didn’t think about filling the larder with enough food to last a week.

Heck, we didn’t even think to get a second party-sized bag of M&Ms.

Sometimes, you're just not prepared.