THE WINTER STORM

It was quite a storm. Especially for us, here in Edgar County. You know it’s rare when you start hearing comparisons to the “Blizzard of 78.”

To me, it starts getting “cold” in the 30’s. Single digits make me start thinking fondly about just freezing temperatures. But when you get below zero, with these crazy wind chills, now we’re talking some serious weather.

How do people deal with this kind of stuff day in and day out, year after year? Imagine living in North Dakota or somewhere else up there? I guess they learn to deal with it, or move.

They dress warm, and live and work smart. They understand how to keep their vehicles running and keep them moving too. They have to, because their lives depend on it. But every now and then, we get a little glimpse into their world.

I took a trip to the store today, to get a few things we missed when we stocked up before the storm. The shelves looked pretty empty. Imagine if the storm had gone on longer. It makes me think we need to stock a little more food in our pantry, just in case.

Remember those folks in the North East last year? Some of them were without power for days. Think of it. No power. No heat. No work. No food. No gas. We were pretty lucky.

Big props to our Edgar County Highway Department, especially their updates. They were the best source of information through the worst of it.

I also admire all the ECHD, IDOT, Ameren, and Enerstar crews, local police, fire, deputies, and other emergency services personnel who got the job done in pretty tough conditions. You know it’s bad, when even they can’t get through!

Perhaps the most impressive to me, though, were the volunteers who didn’t have any affiliation, but did happen to have a truck, a plow, or a snowmobile, and the willingness to use it. There were lots of stories on Facebook that make me proud to be part of this community!

So because of the storm, we had to delay the start of Biggest Loser “19” a week, but finally got underway last week. It's tough sometimes. Things don’t always come easily. But you can get through it. Just like a winter storm.

For more information, you can reach by email at tomdolanfitness@gmail.com, or through Facebook at www.facebook/tomdolanfitness!