How to be prepared...my way

This weekend, starting on Friday, the East Coast had a "major snow event."  This is me and how I feel today after all the snow blowing, shoveling, cooking and cleaning and confinement-- with a mess of teenagers in my house all weekend. I'm a snow corpse.  School is cancelled for tomorrow too.  I'm tired just thinking of another day.  Please stray teens who are in my house, go home.  

Part of any snow storm is the getting prepared part.  There are things you need to do.  The problem is that more and more these storms are hyped and overproduced. Now they even name them, like Hurricanes! (This one was called NEMO, after the Captain not the Fish -- I think)  I've been fooled many times by the storm that's suppose to dump 20 inches and only leaves 2!  It's like the boy who calls wolf, over and over and on every channel at 4, 6 and 11. Its hard for me to commit.

But with this storm, the media was SO persistant that this was going to be EPIC (yes one announcer said EPIC three times during his segment) I decided to believe.  So once you committ, there are some things you need to do. 

My number one concern is always food.  Because food...you should know....is important to me.  You should have plenty of food.  Stuff that will be easy to cook if you lose power and if possible stuff that can hold warm a long time like chili in a crock pot or beef stew.  This also means lots of snacky food, fruit and vegetables, and dips. You want to have plenty of eggs and milk too.  Although I'm not sure why.  I get the eggs part, but why the milk?  I don't suddenly want milk during a snowstorm.  But eggs can be breakfast, lunch or dinner, and you can go through a dozen fast. (especially with teens in the morning for breakfast)

What else.  You need to have a gas tank filled in your garage for the snowblower.  You also need to make sure you can START the snowblower.  And that there is a clear path for the snowblower to get out of the garage.

You should make sure you have laundry soap.  Because you'll be stuck inside and you may as well wash all the sheets and dirty clothes. 

Make sure your oil tank is filled. (that's how my house gets heated)

Oh firewood.  You want to make sure you have a lot of firewood.  I had a cord delivered about a month ago so I am totally set there.

You need at least one flashlight that has good batteries.  Make sure it works.

And booze. 

I like to have a good cache of red and white wine.  And some whiskey and beer.  I bought some Bullet Rye and some extra vermouth, for in case I wanted to make some Manhattans. 

Oh and plenty of reading magazines, I like foodie ones.  And a book to read.  (Remember if you lose power you also lose TV)

If you've done most of this, you are WAY ready.  Knowing where your snowpants are stored, as well as your hats and gloves and boots --all that would be helpful, but isn't super essential.  You can find all that stuff during your confinement.   Here's me with a glove that is bigger than my head and a pair of snowpants that are size CHILD 16. 

And there are some steps above that I skipped.  You'll manage.

Nobody's perfect.