Preparing for an early Nor’easter

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

The calendar said October but the meteorologist said winter. Mother Nature obviously had a disagreement with Old Man Winter and we felt the brunt. Looks like I will once again be digging out those old rubber boots that dad got at Bargain Center in Davis Square. Will they last another winter? Will I? I know a lot of you just took it in stride, but nervous wrecks like me automatically kicked into panic mode.

As I watched TV from bed at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, the weather guy was predicting two to six inches of snow in our area. I thought maybe I was still asleep and it was a bad dream. Am I going nuts or does it usually NOT SNOW in October? As I drove to get my morning coffee at Dunkies, I saw some DPW plows and trucks and other vehicles at the ready. I bought into the hype and headed for Home Depot at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning to get some “ice melt”…in October! There was a steady flow of other panic people in Home Depot, too. I picked up two 50 pound plastic buckets of the stuff (I almost got a hernia lifting them!). Some folks were buying snow blowers! Then I went by the gas station and put five dollars worth of regular in my plastic gas can for my snow blower. Five bucks filled it halfway (are you kidding?). To complete my emergency preparedness run (in October), I stopped by Stop ‘n’ Shop for water, soup, milk, cookie dough, and some other food. All the while one thought kept running through my mind. This is October, unless I have finally snapped, or entered the Twilight Zone, which is totally possible.

So, as Saturday afternoon came, I watched it go from rain to snow. I dug out my gloves, a hat and a scarf (in October) and placed the snow melt bucket in the hall. It seems even stranger because on Friday I was outside putting up Halloween decorations. That’s right, Halloween. I never remember getting any snow before Halloween. Just the other day a bunch of us at work were discussing the upcoming winter hoping it would be milder than last year. Well, so far a mild winter doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

I went out to do an important errand at around seven on Saturday night and was amazed at the geniuses driving like maniacs out there. Small cars whizzing around corners, and speeding up Broadway through Ball Square, while the snow came down. Small cars, driving like nuts, cutting other cars off and driving recklessly. They must be from surrounding communities because Somerville drivers are the most courteous around (yuk yuk!). And me in my big gas guzzling, rolling fortress of a SUV! (Sick Urban ‘Villen!) It’s nice to know that that the crazy drivers who think their cars can stop on a dime are geared up for another winter’s “driving wars.” Once again I will have to avoid those annoying little maniac drivers.

Were you one of the people caught with your scrapers down? I saw a guy using a compact disc to scrape his windshield . I hope it wasn’t anything good like, Led Zeppelin I, or Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars! I used to use a cassette, but those days are over. I have a thick plastic crudely formed plexi-glass scraper that my dad made over 40 years ago. I also saw a neighbor take dirt from one of his planters and sprinkle it on his icy stairs. We are resourceful when we have to be. I bet half the people who flock to the supermarkets for panic food could live very nicely off the stuff they already have in their cupboards. (I don’t buy into all those expiration dates.)

Kudos to the Somerville Fire Department for taking care of the fire that gutted a block of businesses in Teele Square on Saturday night while this storm was hitting us. We are lucky to have such brave firefighters in this city, and we are glad no one got hurt.

Yes, I bought into the hype, but at least now I am good to go for another Somerville winter. Luckily I did not lose power so I was able to watch the Patriots lose to Pittsburgh.

Those old beat up Bargain Center boots will be here long after I am gone but I can assure you of one thing. New Englanders will still freak out at the least mention of that four-letter word…snow.

I will be directing a very exciting new group starting Monday, November 7. The Swinging Singing Seniors will have our first meeting at the Tab building, 167 Holland St., at 10:30 a.m. Please join us! We will be doing songs like Sentimental Journey, Celebration, That’s Amore, Side by Side, Can’t help falling in Love, and As Time Goes By. Come one, come all, and sing your hearts out! We will have a blast for sure! For more info, check out Somerville.gov/departments/council-on-aging. Sunsetters…watch out!

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Book your Holiday party now with Jimmy DelPonte and his state of the art DJ system! 617-623-0554 or jimmydel@rcn.com.