I survived

Winter Storm 2002, or as I like to call it, "Twoey."

Thankfully,

much of the snow has melted and not refrozen on the streets of Fayette

County.

It was fun

while it lasted and I was impressed by the beauty of the winter wonderland

that was my backyard, but I don't think our grocery stores could have

handled an extended winter storm. The Kroger that my wife and I frequent

appeared to have been ransacked when we went shopping last Thursday. Boxes

of Twinkies and bags of plain potato chips had disappeared. Each aisle

had a huge gap where products like pasta or canned chili had once been.

There were guards standing by the bread and milk displays, now conveniently

located next to each other. It was very unsettling.

When the first

meteorologist in Georgia mentions the words "snow" or "winter

storm," people start to panic. They worry about driving conditions

and getting to work the following day, but they panic about having enough

food, especially bread and milk. Is there a dish that can be made with

bread and milk or are these two staples used to build a spackle of sorts

to further insulate a home?

I imagine a

family gathered around a large mixing bowl in their kitchen, drowning

a loaf of white bread in a bowl of milk and smushing it all together.

The father hands his son two large handfuls of the goo. "Here, Junior.

Go line your windows."

In a true winter

storm or blizzard, it would be necessary to have a lot of food in the

house, because you are not going anywhere for a long time. For those of

us who lived through "Twoey" last week, you remember that the

roads were drivable by about noon Thursday. In fact, I can't recall any

snowstorm down here in the last nine years that lasted for a long time.

There was an ice storm a few years back, but things started melting the

following day.

I must admit

that, though I am not native to Georgia, I view winter storms with more

trepidation than other transplants from the north. I moved down here at

the age of 17, which meant that I didn't get a chance to drive in snow

while living in Massachusetts. I know that I should drive slowly and apply

the brakes gently, but I have never been able to practice. Until the other

night. It was very scary and, thankfully, the roads were almost deserted.

Though I did

survive the blizzard of '78 in Massachusetts, I was only about 2 or 3

at the time. I remember nothing of it. There are some classic pictures

of mountains of snow towering over my very small and expertly wrapped

body, but it was just another day of cookies, hot cocoa and Sesame Street

to me.

Sometimes,

I wish that a true blizzard would come to Georgia. I think being trapped

in my house for a few days would be great. I've got plenty of video games

to play and DVDs to watch. I could re-read "The Shining" and

think about the dangers of cabin fever and I always have plenty of bread

and milk in the house.

Well, if we

get "Twoey, Part II" maybe I'll get to do those things. What

I'd really like to do though is go sledding. Anybody know any good hills

around here or where I could buy a sled?

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