Oh yes, let the madness begin. The news people have been going into overdrive mode this week for our “Arctic Event” that is supposed to arrive today. They’re all in a tizzy because we could get snowdown to the valley floor (Willamette Valley y’all) with some accumulations in the higher elevations. That mania combined with the pre-Christmas insanity is causing a run on candles, canned meat, batteries, toilet paper and bottled water. In essence folks are stocking up and digging in as if we were getting feet of snow. Like a Midwest style blizzard or nuclear winter. But no, we may get a couple of inches. Yes, a couple of inches. And people are freaking out.
The cities, counties and the State are ramping up their road crews, utilities are putting everyone on stand-by and it is just general madness. The temperature show 36 F outside and it’s raining. I know that because they have made such a huge deal about snow that it will be a non-event. I went to school in Flagstaff and dealt with snow regularly through the winter, driving to and from school, work and clinicals in my VW Bug. It is not a big deal. But people here make it out to be the end of the world. I don’t worry about my ability to drive in such weather, but it is everyone I am worried about. If it does snow and/or get icy, I’m going to hang out on the couch with a warm adult beverage and watch the carnage unfold live on TV. That’s a mighty big if.
But as far as events go, my Father-in-Law arrives on Monday from Arizona. Yes, both in-laws will be in my house (they’re actually divorced) for a week, pretty much unannounced. He called and said, “I’m going to be there on Monday the 22nd, as a surprise for Christmas.” Will he stay in a hotel? No. Will he rent a car? No. He will sleep on my couch, drive our car and eat our food all week. I’m so excited about it that I put a countdown timer up to remind me how long it is until he leaves. It’s not that I don’ get along with him, we’re cordial and do get along fine, he just adds another unwanted layer to stress to the house. My revenge? We’re going to be having highs in the hgh 20’s the week he’s here, and I work nearly every day. Avoidance is not neccessarily a bad thing.
