Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
The Frozen Tundra
As often happens with St. Louis weather forecasting, we prepare for an onslaught of cold and snow that may or may not happen. Last night the scroll at the bottom of the television showed all the places that will be closed today in anticipation of a “snowmaggedon.” I’ll believe it when I see it.
In the meantime, a friend who lives in Montana posted pictures of shoveling and snow-blowing her way out of a 3 foot snowfall. If that happened here, this city would be paralyzed with fear and trepidation.
I do remember the massive snowstorm of January, 1982. I was on duty at Deaconess Hospital as the snow accumulated to more than 16 inches overnight. I stayed all night because the call-offs were beginning and, as a head nurse I was involved in taking calls and trying to figure out who would be caring for our full house of patients. People who were on duty offered to stay and work until relief could get to us.
As it happens, most of us stayed over two nights as the city snowplows tried to handle the drifts on the roads. I remember it seeming like many days before the roads were actually passable. We did manage to bring in a few more people – my then husband and I owned an International Harvester Scout, a four-wheel drive vehicle. When people would call in I would offer to send him to get them. They were all very disappointed, but did agree to be transported to the hospital. It was not a simple trip because motorists had abandoned their cars all over the roads, but every person he brought in was precious.
More than half of the kitchen staff didn’t make it in. So, a bunch of us got in the kitchen and managed to create very simple meals to send to the patients and staff. “Very simple” are the operative words for what we produced in that industrial strength kitchen. We were lucky we didn’t blow the place up on all those gas stoves.
What I remember most is how people just worked together to provide for the patients’ needs. And the patients themselves were very gracious about only getting toast and juice for breakfast. No backrubs were given at night, either. No one complained. Back in that day it was standard to offer and give backrubs at night – not so much anymore. In fact, not at all anymore. But that’s a whole other story.
So, today I am going to work. The bad stuff is not supposed to start until this afternoon when the temperature drops into the single digits and snow is predicted at a 60% – 80% chance of happening. I will be very sad if I get snowed in at my current workplace. No food. No TV. No space heater. Fortunately I only have to put in 4 hours today, so I should be out of there before the weather does whatever it’s going to do to us. Jan will venture out to the grocery store to get “staples”. Why are bread and milk such popular items when it snows? I’m thinking cookies and ice cream and hot chocolate myself. I love sitting in the living room with a hot cup of something and watching the snow fall outside of the window.
If we have significant snowfall, the most unhappy person in this household will be Mollie Dog. We have a snow shovel so we can clear a little toilet for her but she is not at all pleased with that alternative and she lets us know it. She also doesn’t appreciate cold weather. She’s in for a surprise today for sure!