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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Snow?????

Because our local food ads run Wednesday through Tuesday,   I generally go to the grocery store either on Wednesday or Thursday so I can take advantage of the cherry picking before everything is picked over. Which means I traditionally buy my produce once a week and fill in only on an as needed basis.  So today I sashayed my tail to 2 of the stores I hit weekly, Sprouts and Aldi. I did not have my list because I left it on the breakfast room table, but I had just written it so I pretty much remembered what I was going for.  As it turns out, it didn't matter because there was no blooming produce at either store


I live in Alabama, home of bat size mosquitos and very little snow.  By very little snow I mean flurries a couple of times a year, freezing rain about every 5 years and snow that sticks maybe every 7 or so years.  Well yesterday our local weather people started rumbling about snow and snow frenzy hit the stores.  In fact, before I went grocery shopping I was at Kohl's using my 40 dollar Kohl's bucks right before I went to the grocery stores and I only saw 3 other customers.  You know why? Because all those other shoppers were at the grocery store!

I headed across the road from Kohl's to Sprouts. I am one of those weird people who always take a buggy (southernism for cart) from the corral before heading into the store. Dang good thing I did! There were none left in the front of the store because everyone in town was buying like the world was ending tomorrow.  I literally was in there to cherry pick the produce so I mentally recalled my list and went straight to the back to snag celery. UH, none!  OK then I would just go grab some brussels sprouts, uh none of those either! No problem I would pick up a bag of cuties. OK plenty of those along with some types of potatoes, yellow squash and cukes, but there were no heads or bunches of lettuce left__just a few bags of bagged salad.  No carrots, kale, scallions, winter squashes, red onions, beets, turnips. What the hell are all these people doing?  Are they afraid our 1 inch or rain/snow mix is going to disable their life?

After my unlucky visit to Sprouts I headed to Aldi.  They did have a couple of avocados, celery, mixed greens but no heads of lettuce, zero fruit with the exception of red grapes and a couple of bags of apples. (They also had onions and potatoes but I didn't need those) What can I say?

Now I am not totally pooh-poohing people's reactions.  I have lived here forever and I understand if we get freezing rain or heavy wet snow our abundant tree population will have limbs snap causing power outages all over.  I have lived through snows where the power was off 6 or 7 days before we got it back (Yep, I live at the tail end of a grid).  But I also know you don't bring new food into the house because when that happens you might as well fire up the grill and cook for the entire neighborhood, or commit to throwing pounds and pounds of meats (that are no longer frozen and at best are questionable and at worst rancid) out in the garbage. 

I also am shocked at the veggie disappearance.  Usually it is bread, milk, peanut butter and cold cuts that fly out of the store.  I guess since it is just the 4th and everyone is still on their new diets, or juice phase, or cleansing diets people aren't considering that if they do lose power their blender/juicer/vitamix is not going to work, and those of us who renew our produce regularly on Wed. or Thur. are stuck now buying frozen broccoli and spinach.  Thanks a bunch! 

So now we get to sit and wait for the storm that will be just to the north of us and we will get nothing, and I will be eating frozen stuff instead of fresh because all you hoarders grabbed, well, everything! 

And I will let you in on a little secret.  About 3 years ago I bought a generator large enough to keep my freezer and the extra fridge in the laundry room running. We lose power more ofter due to tornados or the after winds of hurricanes than we ever do because of snow, and after a really bad tornado/hurricane season I had to toss the contents of my freezer 3 times. Since I bought the generator we have not been without power longer than twelve hours, so yes, Birmingham, you can thank me and my red gas powered talisman for keeping The 'Ham powered.   You're Welcome!

23 comments:

  1. Yikes, bare shelves! I wonder if maybe for some reason they just didn't get their normal deliveries either in addition to people stocking up due to Christmas and New Years. We have had a much colder snowier winter than normal, like you some years we see no snow at all. Stay warm!

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    1. The cashier at Sprouts said she had never seen such a buying frenzy before, especially the produce that was flying off their shelves.

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  2. Sigh.
    We see similar madness here when the shops are going to shut for Christmas. For two days maximum. And when most people already have a house bursting at the seams with food.
    Good luck. I hope the fresh produce returns quickly.

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    1. I was silently cursing the food hoarders tonight when I used frozen broccoli. Plans had to change from a broccoli salad to a baked potato with sautéed mixed veggies as a topping.

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  3. We're only supposed to get rain down here in Lower Alabama. I haven't done any food shopping this week, so I don't know if the shopping frenzy hit here. I don't have much in my fridge, so if we have a power failure, I won't lose much. At the same time, we don't have a lot of food on hand either, but I think we'll be okay for a day or two if everything shuts down. lol. Stay safe and warm!

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    1. It looks like you are going to get pretty heavy rains and t-storms. Take care. It looks like we might get a little icing but thta is about is.

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  4. I think you pretty much called it, in every aspect. My favorite part was about all the produce being gone because people are on their diets still. It's true!
    Being from the north though, living through regular winter snowstorms, FEET of snow, way below freezing temps, and yes power outages when there's freezing rain you can't imagine how us Northerners laugh at the mad rush to the store that happens when your weather people utter the word snow. Our schools don't close unless there's been several feet of snow overnight or if everything is covered in sheer ice. It sounds like you guys close school if someone says snow.

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    1. Have fun laughing at us. I laugh too, but I did make sure I have plenty of clean underwear just in case we do lose power for several days.

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  5. Funny, Ann! I was just looking up the weather here- I might have to cover my begonias Saturday but no snow. When I lived in DC, just the mention of snow cleared the grocery shelves but veggies, I don't think so haha. Hope it isn't too cold!

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    1. Cover those begonias then and enjoy the warmth. I am just laughing at the amount of food people are grabbing for what could possibly be a 2 day issue

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  6. I like having a little reserve (pantry cans),but buying all the fresh is really pretty silly, for all the reasons you state.I can relate to Rivulets response. We just rarely shut down.

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  7. I like having a little reserve (pantry cans),but buying all the fresh is really pretty silly, for all the reasons you state.I can relate to Rivulets response. We just rarely shut down.

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    1. Listening to the TV weather people you would think an apocalypse is headed here any minute.

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  8. Thats pretty funny about the fresh produce!

    I have to say, I always wonder why the huge rush to the shops on the day before a holiday. I still remember when all shops closed midday Saturday to re-open Monday morning. Peopple must have near starved :)

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  9. That's too funny! The power going out would be a bigger issue, I'd think. We are supposed to be stocked up with at least a 3-day supply of food and water (longer if possible) in case of earthquakes. If a really big one hits, then, there won't be fresh deliveries made to many grocery stores, due to damaged roadways, damage to the stores, lack of power, etc. There will be chaos if that happens! Of course, they can't predict earthquakes with any accuracy, so we all go about pretending we are prepared. :)

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    1. Yep the no power thing gets pretty dicey! Earthquakes? That is something we have not had to worry about__yet.

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  10. I guess it depends what you are used to really doesn't it. I remember one winter when I worked in DC they forecast snow. We didn't get that much to be honest but pretty much everything came to a standstill. A French Canadian colleague of mine was doubled up laughing. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Anna

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    1. Yep we don't "do" snow. Schools were cancelled last night and the first flake didn't fall until about 5 pm today!

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  11. Looks like us before a hurricane. I don't think any actual snow has stuck to ground here in over 25 years. :) Michael remembers some crazy Bham blizzards and being a stupid teenager at the time. I think he and his buddies tried to camp (??) during the blizzard of 93.

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    1. During the 93 blizzard we had 13 inches of snow and no power for 6 days (yeah its the end of the grid thing again), but it was truly kind of fun. I had a gas cooktop and oven at that time so I cooked and baked and we had neighbors and kids in our house all day, because everyone brought the food that was going to ruin to my house . Well that and I had a french press so everyone could have heir morning coffee,

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  12. Okay, nobody asked so I guess it is up to me - maybe it's an American thing but WHAT is a bag of cuties?
    I've never seen an empty grocery shelf. Not ever. But then, I could probably live on what I have for a good two months. I call it "MY Little House on the Prairie" syndrome - why buy one can of tomatoes when you can buy five?

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  13. Cuties are small clementines . They also have them bagged under the name Halo's. I think they are just a small mandarin orange. I am well stocked also and could live quite a while on the foods in my storage. All I wanted was a little fresh produce like I buy every week. Maybe Monday!

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