Ice! Snow! Holy Moly! Feb 1, 2011

I am one of those people who remember the infamous Chicago Blizzard of 1967...with snow drifting up to the 2nd story windows!  I remember the snow and the cold and when we finally went back to school, walking to the bus stop with snow piled nearly as high as my head to either side of the road.  And was this the snowstorm when my Dad could NOT make it home from the office??  I remember he asked for and received a safe harbor with a farmer and his family for a couple of days, because his VW Bug finally remembered it was little (albeit mighty!) and decided to stop moving forward through the snowdrifts.
What I do NOT remember is the constant TV coverage interrupting our viewing of Gilligan's Island or Captain Kangaroo or "Hardrock, Cocoa and Joe!" 

There's been constant coverage for DAYS about this storm...Incessant coverage!  I mean for heavens sakes...it's WINTER.  It's the MIDWEST!  It's gonna snow!  It's gonna be cold!  There's gonna be ice! 

Years ago, they mentioned the coming ice/snow occasionally, but there was NOT constant coverage!  They've been tracking this storm ever since it was a baby out in the west... It's coming!  It's coming!  Batten the hatches! 

Another thing I do NOT remember is my Mom freaking out, racing to the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk for her 4 children.   She ALWAYS had food in the cabinet -- I remember LOTS of canned soup and peanut butter! 

Sometimes I feel that all the coverage is simply a way to encourage  the "it's after Christmas, but not quite Valentine's Day"  drop in sales... Buy a generator!  Snow Shovels!  De-Icer!  Scrapers!  SALT!  BREAD!  MILK!!! LOTS OF MILK!!  CARTS OF MILK!!!!!

I was at Wal Mart yesterday at 1 pm, and holy moly, i could not believe the packed carts. 

Sheesh.

But then again, mebbe I don't remember the "OMIGOSH!  IT"S GONNA SNOW!" panic because I was a kid.  Snow and ice simply meant tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwiches, snow angels and snow forts, playing with my brother Steve, big rubber boots with those cold metal clasps and if we were very very lucky?  NO  SCHOOL!