We are gearing up for winter storm Cora that is supposed to hit tomorrow. Already the start time has slipped back by several hours. Despite that, a number of closures have already been announced.

I don’t know exactly how cold it was when I walked this morning. I replaced batteries in one of the outdoor thermometers, and its screen refused to show the temperature. At first I thought the cold broke it, but later at 9:30 it showed 14 degrees. In preparation at 8:00, I added one thing to my normal clothing – pulling the hood of the sweatshirt over the knit hat Karen H. made for me years ago. Legs encased in only jeans stayed warm. People visibly waved back at me, and one even waved before I did! I imagined they were rewarding my dedication.

Holly stopped her car on her way to work and voiced what everyone really thought – you are crazy. I wish she had asked me, “Are you crazy?” If she had, I would have given her John’s stock answer, “No, but it helps.”

I made an emergency run to Dollar General for tissues, batteries, and hand lotion. I had gotten eggs, milk, and bread three days ago. That’s what David calls ingredients for French toast — the items most people get the day before a storm. Mine was ordinary shopping, not part of the storm frenzy. I found my car has a glove warmer!! My gloves were too big to fit in coat pockets, so I turned to put them on the car seat. That’s when I found the glove warmer – strong sunlight shining on the seat. When I came back, the gloves were toasty warm.