An Arctic Invasion – Feb 12 – Day 3

This 'un-retouched' graphic put out by the NWS caused some concern!

 As I arose this morning, feeling stiff and sore, I found myself somewhat pensive. Not for the first time, I felt I had had my fill of winter and was now prepared to tackle the bugs and heat of summer. I walked slowly over to my desk and sat down. A glance towards the display of my Davis Weather Monitor II confirmed the 'degree' to which my world had been assaulted over the nighttime hours. Only eleven degrees Fahrenheit at 7 AM! I groaned and contemplated crawling back into the comfort of my heated bed. No, there were things to do, places to go and people to see! And, at any rate, I was hungry! A thought that finally motivated me to move. I got up (the chair groaned with relief), and headed down the hallway in search of some sustenance.

See that big 'H' - it stands for Hell!

Cereal bowl now in hand, I returned from the kitchen to enjoy my breakfast at my desk. A quick twitch of the mouse and the large flat screen came to life. The first order of business was to bring up a weather map to see if the area of high pressure had move. Yup, there it was. And, yes the center seems to have drifted from west to east. According to the weather service, the area of high pressure is expected to exit stage right as the day progressed. As it did so, a new storm system is then supposed to meander in from the west. So, for the morning hours at least, things looked to be fairly tranquil. Cold, yes! But also tranquil! Ah, the calm before the storm, I thought as I spooned the generic equivalent of Corn Flakes into my mouth. My chair emitted a squeak in apparent agreement.

Later on in the morning, with breakfast now done, the bed made and the day stretching out before me. I briefly thought about going out for a walk, but then nixed the idea. It was too cold and the thought of wrestling around with a heavy winter coat was not very appealing. I elected, instead, to sit at my desk and jump around some of the weather related sites like the Weather Underground to see what the latest news on the storm situation was. Shortly, I came across this:

OK, which is it? One or two inches?

Hmm, I thought. This could get interesting! A whole inch huh! Of course I had to remind myself that, as of late, most of the forecasts for snow or ice never amounted to very much. In point of fact, the weather service had been right only once all winter so far as I was concerned! That was when they (correctly) called for a light dusting of snow way back in early December! And, like some dates I had in High School, it was pretty much over before it started. Still, I began to think....about my pantry...

The great food stampede begins!

And, the more I thought about it, the more I felt the urge to run to the store to 'stock up'. Mental images of a desolate and icy landscape formed in my mind and suddenly I felt the lemming like urge to 'shop til I dropped'! No matter that I had plenty of food and that I'd be shut in for perhaps just one day! I NEEDED TO GET OUT AND SPEND! And yes, I needed to be out among my own kind packed like a sardine in some crowded venue! Ahem. Two thoughts came to my mind as I hurried to my car; 1) people are easily panicked for no good reason, 2) shop owners must love bad weather and 3) microbes that cause flu and head colds, can really get a leg up when area stores suddenly become filled to capacity with stressed out guys and girls towing germy little kids in their wake!

Did thoughts like those deter me in the least? No. I ended up joining a great throng of humanity at that store. Everyone there stocking up for an imagined Armageddon on an otherwise sunny Sunday afternoon. Eighty dollars poorer and now sporting a runny nose, I returned home with a veritable cornucopia of food. At least, I reflected, I won't starve to death. (In retrospect, a rather funny thought if you were to take in the whole of my generous appearance).

By 3PM, I was once again firmly ensconced in my modest adobe and feeling rather poorly. A partly crumpled checklist lay on the table in front of me:

Go to grocery store – check

Fill the car with gas - check

Buy more crap than I could possibly use – check

Test run the generator (just in case) – check

Run back to town for gas for the generator – check

Spread anti-icing compound on the front porch – check

Take an antihistamine for my nose – double check

Outside things had warmed up very nicely. The temperature now read 38F and the sun was shining brightly. All this giving little warning as to what was about to transpire overnight. Or would anything transpire?

I resolved to try and go to bed early so as to help with my cold and to be able face whatever mess Monday would bring after getting a good night's sleep. Achoo!

In the next exciting episode, follow our intrepid blogger as he confronts 'The Mother of all Storms'!