NEMO

Now they name all storms: hurricanes, Nor'easters, typhoons, blizzards, etc.  So this one called Nemo was planning on coming to town only a few weeks after we got hammered by Hurricane Sandy. Still reeling in the unbelievable destruction Sandy did, followed a few days later by a Nor'easter with some snow, after dealing with insurance companies, private adjusters, public officials, contractors, subcontractors, town building permits, LIPA, cell phone and Internet providers, gas lines, gas shortages, odd/ even days, lack of telephone poles to restore lines, major stores not having generators, no replacement heating units, and shit spewed all over the place covered with mold...yea...we needed Nemo. "C'mon Nemo, you little bastard, give us what you got, your best shot, go ahead".

The weathermen/woman (PC-?) predict up to 24- 36 inches; some say 5-10, others hoping it blows away, still others say "run for your lives- this will be one for the record book". And weather people who get it wrong still keep their jobs???
So late Friday afternoon I ventured out to bring my granddaughter  home as she was ill and did not go to school. At the start of the sojourn the sky was clouding and it was raining lightly. Sunrise Highway was a bit crowded with cars, and lines were forming at the gas stations. Turning off Sunrise to Rt 231 was like heading into another dimension. Sleet was softly pounding my windshield and the wipers started to work overtime. The merge to Commack Road was slippery and I was getting nervous as it took 20 minutes to get to this point from turning off Sunrise.

After dropping off my granddaughter I headed back home, traveling south on the same road. Deer Park Avenue/RT.231 was now a mess with cars traveling a few feet and stopping. The roads were slush. Half an hour to Sunrisethen  heading west for home. Sunrise was moving at a brisk pace and by Town Hall traffic was great. The point is Deer Park was hit and we weren't, yet. The radio Dj said "Commack has two inches already". What? Good ole Copiague just had rain, still.
Now, what to do? It is Friday late afternoon and my traditional get together with friends for Diet  Cokes is pending. Hmmmm. I decline and decide to stay home. And then it started.


Nemo, one for the record books or as one person interviewed so eloquently stated "it's the most I have seen in my lifetime". Geez, good for you. You are only 17 years of age.

The TV news guy is traveling on the LIE assessing the situation and informing us to "stay off the roads. Only emergency vehicles are to be out". HELLO, Are you, Mr. TV-man, an Emergency Vehicle? No, so get off the road.

So Nemo arrives late Friday afternoon to the fanfare he/she so rightfully deserves and lays about 2 feet plus a few inches on us before leaving with the sunrise of Saturday morn. My coffee is brewing, with no paper on the lawn to help me get my thoughts in order, I sit gazing out the window seeing a sea of white. Yet off to my left is a beautiful cardinal sitting on a perch looking at my now empty bird feeder. Time to get to work.

If Sandy taught us something it is to be prepared for the worst. A tough lesson to be learned but I did adhere to its premise. I fired up my recent purchase of a 6 forward speed/two reverse double stage snow blower (with an electric start). Time to dig out. Jazzbus@gmail.com