Well, here we all are … waiting.
Are we waiting for a big snowstorm? Are we waiting for a “dusting?” Are we waiting for three inches we can simply sweep off the walks, the porch, the car?
Who the heck knows? I have heard weather predictions tossed around like candy at a parade. I’ve heard three inches; five to six inches; shoot, the national evening news had us up for 12 inches or maybe more. As I write this Thursday, no meteorologist is willing, or yet able, to say with any certainty.
I do know this: I, the one who is always enthusiastic about snow, actually grew weary of it these past 10 days. It was wet and heavy. It did not “sweep” anywhere. Nope. There was nothing for it but to shovel.
Now, I have always loved shoveling snow. In my younger days, not that long ago, I actually used to shovel my entire, very steep, driveway. I looked for snow to shovel. These past two times, though, it seemed nothing but an arduous chore. I realized I’m not as young and vigorous as I once was. Bah to that!
To prepare for the snow, we all flocked to the grocery stores. But, some shelves were bare. There were two weeks there – two! – where there was not a quart of half-and-half to be found, either in Walmart or Food Lion. And, no store-brand half gallons. I have trouble grasping those in my old hands. I finally tracked down a stock person at Food Lion and asked him to look through the back room filled with unshelved foodstuffs just off the truck. He found me a single half-gallon of Land o’ Lakes. It cost almost twice what the store brand did. But, I had to buy it.
Here’s another thing I’ve had difficulty finding: Cream cheese. And last night, watching Stephen Colbert, I learned there is a national shortage of cream cheese. For heaven’s sake! How could there be a stampede for cream cheese? I do not know.
Don’t try to find any Wise original potato chips, either. They’re not on the shelf. And tilapia? None to be found anywhere these past two or three weeks. Ditto for “fresh” tuna. I did finally spy some tilapia Wednesday in Food Lion, and snatched them up.
“Snatching them up” is probably the reason we all have so much trouble finding the stuff we want or need. When we do, we snatch up more than we need. I think it might be a good idea to stock up on toilet paper again.
And store prices are shooting up beyond the atmosphere. I bought a simple birthday card in Walmart Wednesday. When I turned it over to check the price, I saw it was $6.99. Seven dollars, for a birthday card? Who imagined that?
Then, there’s gasoline. I used to always count on that station at the corner of Monroe and Alleghany. They had the “cheapest” prices and were on the way to everywhere I needed to go. I was thrilled Wednesday to discover the place was not beset with vehicles lined up to fill up with gas. What a free feeling! Then, I saw notes on each gas pump, announcing they were out of everything but the premium, which is, and never has been, a bargain.
Gas prices are so high, I try to never have less than half a tank. And, in the winter snow, I like to have a full load of gas on board. It’s not that I “go” anywhere, I just like knowing it’s fueled up out there in the carport, waiting for better weather.
Oh, the race to prepare for winter by stocking up on something, everything. It’s nothing any of us really gotta love!
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