BREAD, MILK, AND AN ANGEL

I pulled into the driveway just ahead of the year's first winter storm. The sleet started coming down Sunday evening and by Monday morning, we were locked into a glistening white deep-freeze. At 8:30 this morning (Tuesday - day 2 of snow and ice), the temperature outside was 8 degrees. Folks, this is not Wisconsin. In the hills of Northwest Tennessee, 8 degrees is COLD.

I've been away from home for two weeks, welcoming the newest addition to the family down in Montgomery, Alabama:

Yes, he really is this beautiful!

High temperatures last week in Montgomery were close to 70, by the way. We were running around in shirt sleeves just this past Saturday, soaking up the sunshine.

I've seen lots of joking on Facebook about how folks in Tennessee go crazy whenever snow is in the forecast. We run out and clear the bread and milk aisles at Wal-Mart and Save-A-Lot. We stock up like we think Armageddon is about to happen, like we'll never be able to buy milk and bread again. I used to make those snide comments, too, about frantic storm shoppers, but not any more.

So, like I said, after two weeks away from home, I pulled up to the house just ahead of snow-ma-geddon. A little over an hour from home, as I cruised through Jackson, I actually thought about pulling off the four-lane to make a grocery run. "Nah," I decided, "I'm sure Steve has heard the forecast and stocked up on essentials." I was so tired. I just wanted to get home, unpack, and curl up in front of a warm fire with a glass of wine. So, I drove past Wal-Mart. And Kroger. And Food-Rite. And Save-A-Lot.

Waking up Monday morning to the icy wonderland outside, I discovered that the house was well-stocked (not!) with three eggs, a quarter of a loaf of bread, half of a half of a half-gallon of milk, and enough coffee to brew one more pot. Plus, we were on the last roll of toilet paper.

And there was no way I was going to be able to make the mondo grocery run needed to restock after being away for two weeks.

We scraped by pretty admirably yesterday, Monday, and I hoped the ice would begin to melt and the roads would clear enough for me to get out today in the van.

Nah.

My shiny clean, empty refrigerator suggested that today was going to be a yucky, scrape-by kind of day, and I didn't even want to think about the toilet paper situation. But then, something wonderful happened...

A sweet angel offered to drive me to the bustling metropolis of Troy in her all-wheel-drive Subaru so that I could pick up a few groceries.

Day 2 of snow-ma-geddon, the highway into town looks like this:

But I'm okay with the icy roads now. Totally chill. (Ba-da-bum!)

Because we have milk, and bread, and eggs, and coffee. And plenty of toilet paper.

Next time I hear "winter storm" in the forecast? You can just bet your boots I'll be at Wal-Mart or E.W.'s with everyone else, picking up milk and bread, stocking up before the storm front moves in. You can make all the jokes you want - I won't mind, as long as I have coffee and toilet paper in the house.

(Thank you, thank you, thank you, Carly, for blessing me with your awesome driving skills this morning! You are an angel!)