Notes From The Bunker

Hunkered down inside my house with the wind blowing and the snow still falling, I have become a news junkie. When I am home, the TV is a constant companion, but usually Bravo is streaming live on my TV. Due to today's "historic storm" the TV has been left on the local news channels that have been bellowing emergency information and snow fall totals all morning long. As of now,12 noon EST, in my part of the state we have recieved over 20" of snow with no indication that it's stopping. 

I say bring it! I just made a beef stew in the crock pot and I'm about to make some spiked hot chocolate! We are lucky because we still have power so the play list is qued up and the backgammon board is at the ready. Even Buddy has his storm provisions. He's got a gorgeous bone that he's been happily devouring at my feet for the past hour. 

The govenor has issued a state of emergency warning as well as a driving ban. It's a winter wonderland and I'm curious, so maybe later this afternoon I will venture out into the majestic surroundings. It's not so bad here. In fact, it's a quite cozy sense of community with all the neighbors checking in on each other. With the entire state is virtually shut down, it puts us all in the same boat if just for a day. It is a uniquely New England experience, and one that brings us together. A safe, warm feeling, so I can't resist but state the obvious:

While the weather outside is certainly frightful, my fire is definitely delightful! And yes, we've no place to go, so why not let it snow? 

The New England Experience

A major snow storm is predicted for these parts later today, all day tomorrow and into Wednesday morning. Forecasts predict up to two feet or more of snow dumped into our area in the next 48 hours with close of 32 hours of heavy snowfall.

And that means it's time for the New England experience.

I was born and raised in Massachusetts, so I've seen my fair share of snow storms. I even survived the Blizzard of '78 as a kid who was out of school for over a week. Yes, it snows a lot here and yes, we always manage to survive it. This time they are predicting a blizzard with 24-28 inches of snow with potential flooding and strong damaging winds. OK-so that means a few things to us:

• Check the salt, sand and ice melt in your garage. I can't even imagine what Home Depot looks like today, but I'm pretty sure its got SOLD OUT signs everywhere. 
• Buy batteries, candles, matches and flashlights. These are essential storm preparedness items.  Also-charge all essential electronics, cell phones, lanterns, lap tops and Ipads. 
• Food and Water-It's insane how crazy the region gets over food and water. We have known about the severity of this storm for just about 24 hours and our local markets are already bare bone! I took these pics this morning at our local major supermarket. 

                                                 

• Test the generator. Power outages will be a reality this storm and we don't know for how long. Because of the severity of the weather challenges in this region, most people I know have invested in hard wired generators. It's just smart business for most of us who live in older towns where the power lines are still above the ground and the investment comes back two fold on storms like this. 
• To me-the snow storm means people will home SHOPPING ONLINE! Why not take advantage of this fact and have an ONLINE SALE?!!! Go to www.candybarcosmetics.com this Tuesday, Jan 25th and Wednesday, Jan 26 and use the code SNOWDAY at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase. 

It's like this: we bitch and moan about the big storms and yes, it can be dangerous, inconvenient and bad for business but the one thing we all know to be true is that it is uniquely New England. I was talking to my mom today in who is in Florida and she told me that this snow storm is the lead story on every newscast down there. She then told me that she's a wee bit envious. She said that despite the nuisance of a snow storm, it's that warm and endearing feeling you get while hunkering down with your family that she will miss.  

I gotta agree with her on that. 

I've Just About Had It....

"Due to social anxiety and inclement weather conditions, outside is closed until further notice."-

Nick.@SocialExtortion

Bad Weather Stew

Are you kidding me?

This time they got it right. No beauty emergencies today, that's for sure, so it looks like a lost day of revenue. I just made that FAB, slow cooker beef stew you see up above and I'm hunkering down for a day-long blasting of snow.

• The beef stew I made is from a blog called Butter with a side of Bread. I have made it before and let me tell you, it is just about the closest thing to perfection on a day like today!

• My Guy was out last night, so it was a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MARATHON> Those bitches are so juicy...always fighting and swearing. It feels like home when I watch it! No wonder I love it so much. I'm half kidding, but really, after the latest episode, I was left feeling pitty for the ladies. Yes, they get paid a ton of money per episode and they have attained some twisted form of celebrity, but they fights and the petty drama that goes on makes me wonder about the toll it takes on their real lives...they have to fight to stay relevant or they get axed! I guess it no different than any other job except their bad behavior is rewarded.

• I bought a coat for my dog. Yes, I did and you know what? He needs it! He's an old fella. (we're not quite sure how old exactly-pound rescue) And his little Jack Russel body is slowly shedding hair. He doesn't mind his little velcro coat, it's bright orange and waterproof and as a matter of fact he kind of likes it! He has taken to wearing it around the house on really cold days. But on days like today I'm wishing I bought one for Buddy too. ( See Buddy here- it's funny. He's my Boxer)

• Tequila? A no no for Candy. Went out for My Guy's birthday on Sat night. I think I had a good time. 

• Since I'm  stuck at home today, I've decided it's the perfect time to study. I'm in the process of putting together The Candy Bar's E-Commerce site and I've been doing a ton of research on social media and online presence. It's very interesting and very motivating! So the good news is the day won't be a total loss! Happy Hump Day Bloggers!

Honey, I Ain't A Scared Of A Little Snow

Bring it on beeyotches....

April Fool

So I awoke to this scene outside my home this morning. I took this photo with my iPhone of this cruel April Fool joke. It's not too bad though, just a heavy dusting really, and only the roads needed to be plowed but as of this morning it is still snowing at a good clip. Have a great weekend bloggers! Let's hope the sun comes out.

What Did We DO To Deserve This?

I'm in the "Buy Lots Of Booze" part of the map...

The New North Pole

Yeah, not much else going on here except for another 16" of snow over the next two days.
This expresses my sentiments exactly.

Even the kids are praying for NO MORE snow days, if you can believe that. We have had so many this month, that they are considering getting rid of April vacation. Are you kidding me???

I heard Santa just bought a new place down the road. Says he thinks this is the place to be....the new North Pole.

Can't say that I blame him.

Snow Day

DAMN, did we get bombed!!!

Yesterday was a serious snow day. I woke up around 7am and the snow was coming down at an unbelievable pace. By that time we already had a foot of snow and it looked like white out conditions outside my window.

Then the snow continued All. Day. Long. And did not stop. We ended up with probably 17-18 inches in total, and some places in MA got up to 2 feet or more.

I gotta tell you, it was AWESOME. With no where to go, the weather furious, everybody was home bound for the day. I couldn't feel that pang of guilt you sometimes feel when I make a decision to close the store. This one was a no brainer. No one could move for most of the day. Wherever you were, you pretty much stayed put and had to wait it out.

Today begins the messy process of clean-up.

And my home town never looked more beautiful.

The majesty of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.