Worn Thin

Ordinarily, I am a very patient man. I work with a lot of the bureaucracy of our country's federal government, which if that work has taught me anything, it is to be patient. The wheels of government grind very slowly. They take forever to make a decision, and often change their minds.

Currently, my patience, and that of my partner, has been tested and worn thin by this really crappy weather we have had to deal with. 30" (76cm) of snow last weekend, and with our home county being in the target zone for some 8" (20cm) to 16" (40cm) of snow due to start falling later today through the night.

My partner has had to do everything, because I cannot stand up for more than a minute. From cooking to cleaning to shoveling snow to operating our generator to helping me bathe to going to get more gas and groceries between storms ... you name it, he has to do it. It is really hard on him. He has tried to be as patient as he can be, and it hasn't been easy.

I am frustrated as heck because there is very little that I can do. Our street was plowed yesterday morning, and a neighbor who has nothing better to do used his snowblower and opened up the rest of the street and neighbor's driveways (all except his disabled next-door neighbor who he doesn't like). I got a couple of buddies who I am tutoring for their upcoming citizenship test to come to the neighborhood and dig out that disabled neighbor (because I can't tolerate spitefulness). They also dug out our fire hydrants so they would be accessible... just in case.

I have been helping to prepare volunteers with critical, time-sensitive, safety advice. These volunteers are using their 4WD vehicles to provide critical transportation for essential workers throughout our county. We almost lost a whole family who lives in our county. They used a cooking stove indoors during a power outage and almost died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. There is a lot of safety advice to give, but my expertise is knowing what is most critical information to give to certain audiences at the right time. As they say, "timing is everything."

As far as the eye can see... more and more snow. Wish us safety and comfort as we prepare for the filming of the sequel, "Snowpocalypse II." An alternate film also in production is "Snowzilla." I just hope that they can mesh the mouth movements better than they were able to do with the original "Godzilla" movies (LOL!)

PS: If blog posts appear that are not related to our current situation with the weather, then it is likely that we have lost power and internet service again, and this blog has gone on "automatic," meaning that some other posts I have written for "anytime" will appear each day until our power and internet service is restored.