N is for Nor’Easter

During these dog days of summer, I feel it necessary to remind you of what we have to look forward to in just a few short months. Remember this?

Yeah. That’s a picture of our house from a Nor’Easter that hit in December of 2003. It dumped over 2 feet of snow on us. You know what a Nor’Easter is, right? It’s basically a blizzard and it’s a particularly nasty type of snowstorm we mostly get here in the North East. Lots of wind, piles and piles of snow, power outages, and days off from school.

I have great memories of the Blizzard of ’78, one of the most powerful blizzards in my area. The storm took everyone by surprise. I was actually at school that day and they let us out early because it started snowing so furiously. And it just kept snowing – for 32 hours. People were stranded trying to get home from work. Snow plows were unable to pass on the roads. I remember when we finally got the driveway shoveled and we had to literally step up two feet to walk onto the road. I also remember walking to the grocery story with my parents, pulling a sled to haul the groceries home. People were friendly and helpful and it was a really pleasant time once everyone was safe.

And we have the fabled Blizzard of ’78 to thank for the present state of panic that everyone feels around here once the least little storm is predicted. It’s been nearly thirty years and grocery stores still run out of bread and milk right before a snowstorm! Frankly, I have never understood the urgent need for bread and milk when a snowstorm is predicted. Me, I buy cookies and potato chips and booze. But, whatever. To each his own and all that.

You won’t hear me complaining about the heat. Especially after looking at these photos and remembering just how cold and miserable it can here when a Nor’Easter hits.