Here in OK we are getting ready for the onslaught of winter weather for the second time this winter.  Now I know that those of you who live in the North laugh at us for our state of panic but it is devastating here when we get bad winter weather.  You see since we don't have to deal with it usually for more than 2 weeks or so at a time the state and county governments don't invest in snow removal equipment so strike one.  We also get ice storms instead of snow most of the time.  Then when we get snow it is usually after we have an ice storm.  Strike two.  Then when we have had our worst storms it has been as much as 70 degrees in the preceding 24 hours and the temps drop to below freezing and usually stay there for the duration.   Strike Three.  1 Out.

We have trees usually close to our homes and outbuildings to help combat the high heat we have in the summer.  Ice covered with heavy wet snow brings down trees.  Strike one.  The power companies are usually behind on trimming the main lines trees and guess what, your right the trees come down on the power lines that are left and pull them down.  Strike two.  The weight of the ice on the power lines usually snaps off the poles at the same time.  Can lead to days without power.  Strike three. 2 out.

Without power there is also usually no water.  Oh yeah then the lines start to break because of the thaw/freeze/thaw/freeze that they are subjected to.  Strike one.  People stay in houses without heat and water because the hotels aren't in any better shape.  People in houses without power use generators.  Most of us use them correctly but you always hear of the poor ignorant ones who accidentally kill themselves and their families because they brought the generator into the garage or some other part of the house to keep it from being stolen.  Others light fires without fireplaces and burn down houses.  Strike two.  Then you add in the people who have health issues or fires at their  home that emergency services can't get to because the roads are impassable and the fire hydrants and trucks are freezing as firefighters try to save a home.  Strike three.  3rd Out.

I guess I am being pessimistic because they are predicting that this storm will be as bad as or worse than the one we had in 2007.  We lost our power for 8 days, and one of my wonderful horses died in the storm.  He was recovering from a colic and I think that the noise of all the trees exploding from the weight of the ice was just too much.  He had a heart attack and dropped where he stood one night.  At least it was quick.  He didn't even tear his blanket when he went down.    Have you ever tried to load a dead horse?  Not a pleasant experience at all but we couldn't leave him as there are a lot of coyote here and the big equipment was out helping people with problems a lot bigger than trying to bury a dead horse in frozen ground.  Poor guy ended up at the rending plant close to us but at least  he wasn't gotten too by the coyotes.

We have already had ice and snow at Christmas and my daughter, sister, mother, and niece were in a roll over wreck.  They were all ok but the suburban didn't make it.  The seat belts did their job and I think that the size of the vehicle helped protect them too.  It took 2 wreckers to pull it out of the ditch on the side of the hill.  My sister who was driving said they were going less than 10 miles an hour but that steep curvy hill claims a lot of victims  even in dry good weather.