We all know those people. The ones who call and say, “Did you hear we’re getting 8 inches of snow tomorrow?” In actuality the forecast is 1-3 inches but there could be “bands” of heavier precip 100 miles north and so that person assumes it’s going to snow butt deep to a buffalo in their back yard. Such is the situation in the metro today as one station I watch is calling for 3-6 inches of snow while another is calling for 1-3. At the end of the day neither forecast is crippling. Neither amount would, say, prohibit you from making it somewhere in an emergency. That type of precip in this area is say, 8 to 10 inches. But you would think we’re facing a blizzard both by the media coverage and the lines at Kroger.
Last night I watched “team coverage.” Three reporters/meteorologists covering snow that hadn’t happened and wouldn’t happen for the next 16 hours. Having spent years in the media I wasn’t surprised but then, is it any wonder at all that people in this town panic at the mere mention of the word snow?
Yesterday I made a mistake in judgement. A thoughtless error. A major boo boo in this town. I chose that day, of all days, to go to Kroger. I did not realize it was senior citizen day. I did not put together that it’s going to snow today
. No, I now have twin babies, two older kids and my 39-year-old sister all at my house. That means massive amounts of groceries are needed pretty much all the time. So in a slight drizzle I trudged off to the store with my boys tucked safely in their cribs and my sister at the ready should I not make it home in time for their afternoon snack. And I didn’t make it back in time. Not by a long shot. Why? Snow and Senior Citizen Day. Kroger was a madhouse. I mean, it was nuts. I was in a daze. The least crowded area was the fruits and veggies section. That’s a sad commentary on our society but there ya go. I literally waited in line just to go down an aisle. Bread supplies were dwindling. Milk was literally being stacked into the back of the freezer as I pulled it out of the front. It was, in a word, ridiculous.
I wanted to wear a tee shirt that read: “I’m not crazy like you people, I just had to get some stuff.” I tip my hat to the Kroger peeps. They were ready. I heard employees herd shoppers from a long line to a shorter line to keep things moving. My tired but friendly bagger dropped a 12 pack of my beer … bottles… and they broke everywhere. Needless to say I requested more. After all, it’s going to SNOW people and I need the essentials.
