When Weather Attacks

We all enjoy different kinds of weather. But sometimes weather fights back. One family thought they were going to enjoy a three day weekend. Instead, it turned into a nightmarish week of cancelled plans, raging cabin fever, and arduous journeys to the mailbox. These are some segments of a diary written by one of the survivors.

Day 1: The National Weather Service says there are going to be a few days of snow, but it doesn't sound like much will accumulate. Today we had some snow mixed with rain and by afternoon it turned into just snow. The yard is covered now. It's so pretty!

Day 2: Our meeting was cancelled, so we spent some time playing in the snow. Sledding is more fun than I ever remembered. We took lots of pictures and had a great time. There are maybe 3 inches in the yard. More snow is supposed to be on the way, but it should all be melted off a couple days after that.

Day 3: Today is a holiday so everyone had the day off from work and school. I got some laundry done and made some cookies. The snow isn't melting off and it looks like school will be cancelled tomorrow. Oh well. There is usually at least one snow day a year.

Day 4: Yes, school was cancelled. There is not much to do so I had the kids help with housework. We couldn't finish vacuuming because the power went out. It stopped snowing for a little while, so we went out for some groceries. We have about 6 inches now. There is supposed to be more snow tomorrow but then turn to rain in the afternoon. Maybe the kids will have school tomorrow.

Day 5: School was cancelled again. The power went out again. We finished the vacuuming and did more laundry but did not much else. Eight inches of snow now. There are little pellets of sleet coming down. It was supposed to turn to rain but it's 26 degrees. Tomorrow it will rain, won't it? There will be school tomorrow, right? Yes. Yes of course. Everything will be wonderful tomorrow.

Day 6: No school again. The power went out for more than two hours. Nothing to do. House getting colder. Snow keeps falling. Eleven inches in the yard. I don't know what day it is anymore. My family says I'm losing my sanity. They're coming to take me away, Ha Ha. They don't know anything. I'm not losing my sanity. Just because I am rocking back and forth and keep chanting "I hate snow" doesn't mean I am going crazy. I don't have a wild look in my eyes. Tomorrow it will rain, won't it? There will be school tomorrow, right? Everything will be wonderful tomorrow.

Day 7: AAUUUGH! School cancelled again. Another power outage this morning. Another day of... Wait. What's that noise? Ice pellets hitting the roof? No. It's water dripping. It's 38 degrees and raining. The snow. It's melting! MELTING! What a world. I am so out of here.

We can see from the diary that this experience was extremely difficult. Supplies ran low. Food was fine, but supplies of sanity and patience were extremely low. Cabin fever raged out of control. Yet this family was able to survive.

That's all for this episode of WHEN WEATHER ATTACKS.