ice storm redux

• When an ice storm has been forecast be sure to have plenty of batteries of every kind. Don't' wait until you lose electricity. You may find out that there are no batteries at your local Wal-mart.



• Keep a flashlight by your bed. You may think you know the way to the bathroom, but when the night is as dark as a black cat eating licorice in a coal mine you may bump into things you thought weren't there.



• Since I learned that kerosene won't keep til next year I had intended to continue to use it in the small heater after the power came back on. But I don't think I can stand to smell it any longer, so I'll use it to start the fires in the piles of cut branches that are accumulating.



• I was worried about carbon monoxide poisoning from the kerosene heater and the burners on the stove, but our detector never sounded an alarm. I sure didn't want to lose any brain cells from that. I don't have many to spare.



• Although this ice storm was a catastrophe for the power infrastructure and and the emergency response teams it was a boost to the local economy. Department stores like Wal-mart were packed and merchandise flew off the shelf. Even the electronic stores had an increase of sales for televisions, computer, etc. How were people going to use these things? Restaurants were doing a brisk business as were hotels and motels. Candles, kerosene, and batteries became hard to come by.



• I've lived in Oklahoma for almost 30 years and I've never seen anything like this storm. Yet, the meteorologists say we'd better get used to it. This is a product of global warming. When the winter is as cold as normal, snow and sleet will result, but when the air is warmer than usual the precipitation will fall as freezing rain which sticks to trees and power lines resulting in widespread damage. I think I'll check the real estate ads in the Virgin Islands.