By Jan Penton Miller
Columnist
Winnie stood relatively still this morning as I slid her sleek, little body into her
warm green sweater. I layered up, and we were soon out the door on time to meet
our walking buddies. When I saw Karen and Elaine all bundled up I should have
realized that I wasn’t dressed warmly enough, but I did have on layers so off we
went.
About halfway around the block my fingers tingled from the cold, and I somewhat
sheepishly requested we reverse course so I could pick up my coat and gloves. Upon
arrival I left Miss Winnie because I thought her little paws had to be freezing. Way
down south where we live the truly cold weather we are experiencing is unusual.
Tuesday snow is in the forecast, and I am really excited about the prospect. Our
neighbors to the north have resources to treat the roads to make driving safer, but
icy or snowy roads are such an unusual occurrence that we have no such resources.
On top of that we have very little experience navigating vehicles or even walking
when ice or snow are part of the scenario.
A few years ago I was walking through an icy parking lot up north and almost lost
my footing. It is very hard to keep from slipping on ice so my best advice is to be
very careful where you walk. Stay away from areas where ice may accumulate and
off the roads if at all possible.
I just checked out my weather app and was surprised to see that snow is also
forecast for Wednesday! Old man winter is giving us a taste of what our northern
friends are accustomed to. Hopefully, there won’t be ice along with the snow, but as
with any weather event it is good to be prepared.
It is important to be stocked with the usual necessary things such as food, water,
batteries, and a tank of gas. I don’t think they are predicting power outages, but I
remember a pretty big snow when my kids were young when our power did go out.
I think the snow accumulated on some tree branches, which in turn broke and took
down a power line.
If winter weather home maintenance hasn’t been taken care of in a while there is
still time to get some new weather stripping up and caulk around the window trim
to seal off any drafts. It also may be a good time to check the antifreeze levels in your
car.
Our family and vehicle may need extra care right now, but surely we don’t want to
leave out our beloved pets. If it is too cold for us to be comfortable outside it is also

too cold for a pet, so now is the time to get a warm, cozy spot either in the garage or
the interior of our homes for outside pets. I hope you are all ready to enjoy the
winter weather!