Hello from the frozen tundra formerly known as Texas! It’s been difficult to focus on anything for the past week except “Iceapocalypse 2013” or “Iceageddon”, as many are calling it. With local news teams reminding us 24/7 that everything is covered in ice (duh; take one look outside) I haven’t felt much like writing about careers.
Not to mention that we have been freezing inside the house, despite the new thermal windows installed last year. I guess my idea of “thermal” is different than what was stated in the sales brochure.
Hubby and I found we were not prepared for this weather, or at least as prepared as we should have been. So I thought I’d share a few things we need to have for the next Iceapocalypse, in case you want to take notes for your own global-warming/cooling event:
An exit plan – This includes shovels that are bigger than a garden hoe, so you can chop a path through the ice for you and/or your car. Do you know how long it takes to chop ice with a spade? We do! And trust us, it’s an aerobic activity you don’t want to do.
A working fireplace – Used to have one of these. During the last remodel we decided to upgrade the existing gas fireplace, then changed our mind and spent the money on something else. Problem with that plan is that we removed the faux logs and other parts needed to have a working fireplace, thinking that we would fix it eventually. So it’s still unusable. That’s a call we’ve got to make this week.
Food – This is important, so listen up! You must have food that can be eaten without being cooked – lots of bread, cereal, milk, salad fixings, etc. would be great to have on hand. Especially if the power goes out, and you have no gas fireplace to even try to heat something.
Flashlights – Oh we had flashlights; it’s just that the batteries were dead. In all 12 flashlights. Thank goodness for the flashlight app on our iPhones.
Sense of humor – Remember to keep this close at hand. After being stuck in the house with no outside contact for a few days, maintaining a sense of humor is huge.
DVD’s, books, board games – Anything is better than the 24-hour coverage from a first year newscaster stating the obvious, “the weather is bad” while standing on a frozen bridge dodging siding cars.
List of “rainy day” projects – Being stuck inside is a great time to tackle any project on this list. That is, if you can pry yourself off the couch. Why is it that the couch seems so much more comfortable when the weather is bad? In our defense, we made use of our time by setting up TV trays and addressing our Christmas cards – while we sat on the couch.
Stuff that you don’t think you’ll need – This includes sand, kitty litter or rock salt to help with the exit plan; possibly a generator if you live in an area prone to power outages; an assortment of winter clothing that you’ll barely wear otherwise. I’m thinking golf shoes with metal cleats or something similar would have helped here. My Ugg’s are fashionable and warm but without traction I still found myself on the ground as soon as I stepped onto the frozen front yard.
Chocolate – Duh. This is a no-brainer, and probably the most important item on the list. Not only is it a food item, if it melts it can be a drink and it doubles as a stress-reliever.
I hope you find this list helpful. I’m printing it and mounting it in a frame to hang on the wall with a little red hammer. The small sign will say, “In case of ice, break glass”.
Like Tami, I was terminated once (By my best friend, BTW – he is now on the board of the agency I lead, so I got him back – ha!), but you don’t have to be unemployed to learn something from this book. 
