Sorry to those of you who are (or about to be) getting hit with this big snow storm on the East Coast, but I can’t help but smile when I see the storm track is going to completely miss us here in my neck of the woods. Like, it’s not even going to come close – we’re supposed to have a pleasant (though slightly chilly) weekend. Thank goodness – I’m getting too old for this stuff (and never mind they say we could get hit with another bout of lake effect next week to make the daily commute miserable), and am really not in the mood.

I try not to snicker derisively as I see news reports of the “killer” storm in places like DC. Mostly because the video basically looks like the commute I had back and forth to work on several days last week, and I didn’t see any news reports about that (other than the lo-cal news, which doesn’t have a whole lot to talk about – I never really understood the purpose of sending somebody out into the snow to tell me it’s snowing. I can look out the goddamn window to see it’s snowing). Of course I realize that they have way more people and they don’t have the equipment to deal with it (they sent a fleet of DOT plows from here down to Long Island to help out – I hope we don’t need them) or the experience of driving in it (hell, there are plenty of accidents caused by idiots around here who really should be used to this shit by now).

But it sure is nice to be able to sit this one out.

Instead of plowing the driveway, if I feel ambitious I think I’ll plow the front and back yards so the dogs can run around a little easier (and hopefully not try to jump the fence anywhere). I should also drop the plow off the bucket so I can move the piles of snow around a bit. I usually wait until the drifts are so high I have no place to push the snow, and then it’s a hassle. I at least need to clear it away from the gates to I can get them open and drive the tractor through.

The big event for the weekend though is Sunday, ‘cuz it’s brew day. This week I get to try out my new pump. Last brew day I realized that I’m getting too old to be lifting what feels like a thousand pounds of hot water and grain up in the air high enough to let gravity do the job. My back still hasn’t completely recovered.

Unfortunately, my new conical fermenter won’t be here until next week, which is too bad. But there’s always next weekend, I guess (or maybe the one after that – it kinda kills a whole day, or at least a whole afternoon). But I really need to step up my production, because it takes a lot less time to drink then it does to brew.

Anyhow, if you’re in the path of the storm (or even if you’re not), stay safe and warm. I guess I better get my trip to Costco out of the way today so I don’t have to do it tomorrow.