We Survived The Blizzard of '09!!

If you’re reading this, then you made it through the Great Blizzard of 2009.  The usual Monday recipe post will be back next week, but it's being bumped today by the big storm.

I never want to hear the song White Christmas ever again after going through this monster! The storm hit central Oklahoma hard and turned quickly into a blizzard early on Christmas Eve, forcing me to miss my Christmas Eve trip two hours south to Mom's in Clarita for the first time in my life.  Seriously.  The first time in my LIFE.  Well, I'm nothing if not consistent.

At least most of us kept electricity and phone service. We were snowed in here for 2 ½ days, finally getting out for 45 minutes Saturday to run to the grocery. We spent the time in my house playing Facebook games (Thank you, Farm Town! Thank you, Café World!), and trying to deal with a 14 week old pup that has constant cabin fever, whether it’s snowing or not.

The television meteorologists said that the blizzard conditions with almost zero visibility were a once or twice in a lifetime situation for Oklahoma, which gets plenty of snow but rarely blizzards.

At least seven people died in Oklahoma during the storm. An elderly lady in OKC went outside, fell and died of exposure. Several people died after they got out of their stuck-in-the-snow cars and were hit by sliding automobiles. One man was attempting to get to another car to assist the driver when he was hit. I guess the lesson is to stay in your house, if possible, and stay in your car if it becomes disabled in the snow.

We stayed happily at home for 2 ½ days, did not stock up on food and drink in advance, and fared just fine. Most middle-class homes probably have enough food in the pantry to last a month. When we finally got to the grocery on Saturday, the soft drink shelves were cleared out. Not a good sign for our health when soft drinks are the things a lot of people feel they can’t be without.

There were numerous stories of heroic Okies risking life and limb to rescue others in trouble, but this is no surprise. It’s the Oklahoma Standard.

We failed to receive our Daily Oklahoman on Christmas Eve, and this caused great consternation, since I am addicted to my main news source. The network news was preempted by constant coverage of the blizzard, so I had to turn to Internet news, which I hate.

So, where were you during the great blizzard of ’09? If you experienced it, how did you fare? Please comment and let us know.