Weather Worries

A large winter storm is approaching. And all of a sudden I am feeling worried about Abby. She is in Madison for today and will be returning home on Saturday. She is a great driver, has driven in all sorts of weather BUT - I am now more concerned about her. She defended herself to me yesterday when I gave her my "be very very careful" mother talk. "Mom, you know I am a good driver and I will be just fine!" I tried to tell her I had been tracking the storm and think it is going to be huge and in the southern part of the state. I don't want to start off from Madison and getting stranded. She continued to discount my warning. So then I said what was really on my heart. "I have already lost one family member this month, I couldn't bear to lose another one!"

Common sense and caution sometimes wasn't part of my background. I have been caught more than once in a winter storm creeping along on a snowpacked one lane freeway because I felt I needed to get somewhere or because I didn't heed the weather warnings. I now am worrying for my daughter, who has a little of me in her. All of the years that I traveled, I sensed a guardian angel was watching over me. At one time, I purchased these little clip-on visor angels for all of the kids and had them in all of our cars. Now I will just say some prayers to our own personal guardian angels up above.

I have many memories of winter's wrath. My earliest one is of a 4 year old little farmboy who had been outside helping his dad. It was snowing, and when the father got in the house from doing chores after dark, the 4 year old wasn't with him or in the house. I was probably 8-10 years old at the time. Old enough to know this was dire news. The local farm organizations sent volunteers over to walk the farm and nearby fields that evening and next day. The winter storm lasted all weekend. They didn't find him until Spring. He was not far from the house in a field. How helpless those parents must have felt. Their loss is unimaginable to me. It has been one of those early childhood imprints that has touched me at my deepest core. When we were dating, Bruce and I got stranded at my parent's home along with all of my siblings. We had come home from college that weekend. My two brothers took a tractor and cab up 7 miles to my brother's farm to milk the cows. They ended up having to walk a distance of perhaps a half mile. My 14 year old brother just about gave up walking in the blinding blowing snow. The 21 year old brother having to drag him the last little bit. Scary stuff these pretty snow flakes can be.


Being inside during this weekend will be everyone's safest best. Maybe the games will have to come out, or a good movie or two be watched. Here's praying that ALL people will be safe, sensible and cautious this weekend