And so it begins

A cardinal and nuthatch at the beginning of the snow.

For the past week, our area has been preoccupied with the predicted blizzard for this weekend. The news has been full of ever changing weather forecasts predicting 2-3 feet of snow and high winds. Warnings have been issued to expect power outages. The store shelves are empty and gas stations are out of gas. Schools and business closed early today in anticipation of the impending snow.

Ward and I have done the necessary preparations. We have the mandatory toilet paper and milk, and I baked bread today because the store was out when I went on Wednesday. We have water set aside to drink and flush the toilet in case we lose electricity. (When we lose power, our well pump no longer works and we have no water.) The flash lights have batteries and we have gas for the generator. We have a few good books and puzzles.

And as predicted, this afternoon, the snow began. It is supposed to last until Sunday morning with the winds picking up tonight. Now we are in the fun part of the storm--the beginning where we are watching the quiet white flakes cover up the grays and browns of winter with no urgency to go anywhere or do anything. I hope it continues this way. But if I believe the predictions, we may not be so lucky. Stay tuned.