Bread & Milk

If you're on the east coast you're well aware of the bad weather yesterday.   Here in Asheville it snowed, it really, honestly, whole-heartedly snowed.  Big, wet, slushy, opaque flakes falling like a holey blanket.  When it snows here people tend to freak out, they don't freak out before, they freak out as soon as the snow hits the ground.  There are the incompetent drivers, the people who have unmarred sleds they haul out for the exciting two occassions they might possibly be able to slide down their barely sloped lawn on, all the schools close down ("No buses on icy roads."), and most noticably - the grocery stores are completely overrun.  When there's a storm brewing and I know I'm not going to want to leave the house the next day I'll go to the store and get things like, canned soup, vegetables, sandwich fixins, popcorn - you know, food.  In the event that I think my power's going to go out I'll buy some gallons of water and extra non-perishables.  People here tend to swarm the store as the bad weather starts and stock up on bread and milk.  It's bizzare.  After we had lunch yesterday we were going to stop at the grocery store to pick up some cat food but the store was packed and being impatient we headed to the pet food store.  While checking out I commented, "We've got the cat food, the cat toys, we're set."  The girl at the register added, "Now you just need some bread and milk."  I didn't know what to say, I just wanted to laugh and say, "What is with you people and the bread and milk?  No eggs?  No canned goods?  Fools!"  Instead I just looked confused, gave a half smile and left.  

Today the roads are icy, all the schools are closed - even the courts are delayed, and because we were too impatient to get groceries yesterday we're down to some lettuce, mayo, a little soy milk, half & half, jam, and the maple cream I've been rationing.  

We've been waiting all week for a refridgerator and stove to show up.  At first we thought Monday.  Then Wednesday.  Then Saturday for sure, definitely Saturday.  PSYCH!  Today Sears has promised between noon and four thirty.  I've bet George a dinner out at Marco's that they don't show because of the roads.  

It's rainin' rain.

While the northeastern part of the country is getting all sorts of snow we've started getting all sorts of rain. Today was dark and rainy and even windy. In fact, it was noticeably windy. Luckily I spent the whole day inside the bakery twiddling my thumbs and watching the clock hands move painstakingly slowly. Outside the trees were shaking, umbrellas were bustling and customers who stopped in told me harrowing tales of branches being in the road between here and Point Reyes. When I finally came home I discovered our basil plant launched from it's place holding our screen door open on the stoop and laying dis-potted on the other side of the stoop and the big beautiful pot smashed. San Anselmo is no good for our plants. We had a perfect little about-to-bloom yellow rose bush stolen (despite the fact it probably weighed over 50lbs), at least five plants - indoors and out - have come down with some blight or other, the over dramatic basil smashing...

My biggest beef with inclement weather is our mail. We've got a cute little urbany mailbox on the side of the house and it's got a little lid and little arms to hold the newspaper we don't get and it's all well and cute aside from the fact it's outdated and mostly useless. Mail these days tends to get big and fat and awkward and doesn't fit well in this well intentioned box so the lid can't close and everything gets completely soaked. I want to put a plastic bag out for the mailman to put the mail in but doubt that he'd get it. George mentioned building a roof for it, which is a fairly good idea. I'd consider looking for a new mailbox but after mailbox hunting with Hope it's a task I'd rather no tackle - especially for house I don't own or plan on sticking around in.

Tonight we try and make our own pad thai.