Frankenstorm

With the onset of October, many people begin to feel like Fall is really here.  The leaves are changing, temperatures are beginning to get cooler, and little ghosts and goblins begin to pop up in all forms.

This year however, the weather has been anything but 'Fall'like.  This week the temperatures avereraged 72 here in the DC Metro region.  One day this week it hit 80!  Great to be outside.

But things are about to change according to our weather man.  Our area and particularly the North East is looking towards the convergance of three big storms; Hurricane Sandy is heading our way from the South, a wintry storm is coming in from the West and 'frigid' air is bearing down on us from Canada.  To top it all off we will be experiencing a full moon, which causes higher tides and winds.  Creating what forecasters have deemed  'Frankenstorm' heading our way.  (Cue the music now.)  A storm of historic proportions.

What does that mean for us here where I live?  For one, it means don't get sick or run out of toilet paper as there will be none available at the grocery stores.  If you find yourself without, you may want to stock up on some of those leaves that have recently fallen from the trees and have not yet become crunchy.  Or you can always choose the 'drip dry' method in the case of an extreme emergency, though I don't recommend that as chafing is sure to follow.
Bread and milk are probably already gone from area grocers.  What is it about a storm that makes people stock up on bread and milk?  Do you use more of those items in bad weather?  Do heavy rains make you want to eat a sandwich?  This is something that I have had to get used to since moving to the area many years ago.
You see, I grew up in North Western New Jersey and we got snow.  Lots of it in fact.  I know we were a little more used to it, but it had to be really bad for schools to be closed due to snow.  In fact, I remember standing at the bus stop in what felt like several feet of snow (remember, I was shorter then!) and wondering where the bus was.  When it finally came by, our driver just opened the window a bit to tell us that school had been cancelled.  Here they have been known to cancel schools before a flake of snow has even been spotted!  Ha, Wimps.  
I do remember one storm that hit so hard we were all snowed in for several days.  A rare happening indeed.  We lived in an area where there weren't too many housed, but the folks were all very friendly.  I awoke one night to peals of laughter and loud voices coming from outside.  I looked out  my bedroom window to see many of our parents sledding and tobogganing down the hill in front of our house!  (They all slept in late the next day and there were a few rather substantial bruises to be seen.)
When one family discovered that they were running low on staples, they called around and got lists of items the neighbors needed and headed out to the General Store (for real) on a snowmobile.  It worked.

If the power went out, the kids didn't think much of it in the daytime.  That's because we were all outside playing.  We would play in the snow for hours before coming in.  We didn't sit around and watch TV or play video games all day.  True, we didn't have video games, or computers, but you get the point.  We considered it an adventure if the lights went out at night.  Playing with flashlights, lighting candles and a fire in the fireplace.  We talked to each other!  Played family games, read, that kind of thing. 
Now I have to admit that I am now as spoiled as the next person by the conveniences we live with.  But I am looking forward to a gloomy, stay at home day(s).  I'd like to work on making my Christmas cards, do some baking, scrapbook a layout or two and just relax at home.  Sounds heavenly to me!

We'll see what the weather has to offer and what it turns out to be.  What do you do on rainy, stormy days?