I’d venture to say that very few people were “dreaming of a White Christmas” this year. Most of America was inundated with blizzard conditions and more snow and ice than they could ever dream of.
Aren’t you glad you didn’t take off on a road trip to, say, any other corner of America? Aren’t you glad we live here in what became a little pocket of fairly good, but brutally cold weather?
Of course, to call what we experienced “brutally cold” snubs those who saw temps fall to way below zero for days. Saturday morning, I looked out to see my thermometer hovering at -10 degrees. That’s with a minus, folks.
I think many of us became focused on the temperatures. They were really too cold to get out and enjoy doing anything.
My big bugaboo came on Friday, Dec. 23. My power was out for six long, cold hours. Funny, but we lost power the very minute my last drop of coffee dripped from the pot. Aren’t I lucky?
I sat around under blankets, trying to focus on reading, for an hour or so. Then, I got a brilliant idea: I bundled up and headed to the Warm Springs Inn. It was a cold drive, but when I walked into the building, a lovely warmth enveloped me. Ahhhh!
Then, I had a hot lunch that happens to be my favorite: Perfectly fried chicken. Believe me, I lingered as long as I possibly could. There were other friends there who had fled their powerless homes. We tried to laugh at our predicaments.
On the way home I thought, surely the power is back by now. It’s been almost four hours.
But, no. I walked into a frigid house. I bundled back under the lap robe and turned on the gas fireplace. While no heat blew out (the blower, don’t you know, is run by electricity), there was a cozy-looking fire. That made me feel a little better.
I began to imagine spending the entire day and part of the night in dark coldness.
Is there any better, happier feeling than hearing the furnace kick on, and the lights come back on when power is restored? I think not. I was giddy with relief.
What about those poor folks in the Buffalo, NY area? I really feel for them. Feet and feet of snow, whiteout conditions, abandoned cars left willy-nilly, impeding fire trucks and ambulances. About 30 people died from exposure, or from trying to shovel out of the drifts. Some houses were literally encased in icicles. They looked other-worldly.
Here’s a good story: One Buffalo couple had loaded in groceries to the freezer (why bother?) and fridge and pantry. They were set, the two of them. And then, a knock at the door.
A man from South Korea stood there. He and nine others were trapped in a van in their driveway.
The couple invited them all inside, warmed them up with socks, blankets, and Syracuse sweatshirts, and fed them a feast. No group spoke the other’s language, but that didn’t matter. It was the language of human kindness. One couple was on their honeymoon. The van was headed to Niagara Falls. Who decides to go there when weather conditions are such as they were? Well, a vanload of foreign tourists with no earthly idea.
The story made the national news, as well it should. Photos showed a giddy and convivial group of 10 tourists and the gracious couple. It made my heart warm.
Human kindness: You’ve gotta love it!
