The Great Ice War

An ice storm is moving into the area, or at least the area around my area. People don't handle such frosty weather so well around here, so there is always a little (to a lot) of panic.

The stores were filled to capacity today with people trying to buy everything they may need to survive the ice.  My guess is this mostly consists of toilet paper and beer, beating out chips, soda, and bullets by a small hair.  This is close to the list of things people need during zombie movies too.  On that note, there really REALLY needs to be a zombie/ice storm combo movie, just for the simple pleasure of watching zombies slip and fall on the ice.

Ice storms are a real, if infrequent, weather hell in this area.  The last one was two years ago and a lot of people around here lost power.  We didn't, thankfully. At the time, we were living in the world's most questionable trailer and relied on electric for our heating.  I'm honestly not sure how we would have handled things if we'd lost power.  Even on the days when the heater was working well, the place was still freezing.

The ice storm that I will always remember most happened back in the early 2000s around Christmas. It was deeply horrible for a lot of reasons. For one thing, the power DID go out almost every where.  Thick sheets of ice froze onto the tree limbs, power lines snapped, in a lot of places, there wasn't even water. People who worked on electrical lines came from all over the country to help with the patch job. It was a mess.

When the snow started, I'd been at a friend's house celebrating Christmas. It got bad quickly and I knew I needed to stay and wait it out. I really didn't understand I'd be there for days.  Because of this, I was not a physical witness to the great war that was to take place.

My mother lived about 12 miles out of town in a small rural community, small enough that while they have city water.....which they've only had for about ten years or so....they have no stores or gas stations. The nearest convenience store is about five miles away and only where it is because of a thriving recreational lake.  Really, my mom's area consists of a church, old and/or crazy people, and graveyards.

Mom and her husband managed to get one of their old vehicles to work well enough to drive into town.  The trip involved getting over to rather nasty hills and various roads that tend to wind this way and that. Somehow, they got here, to the relative safety and comfort of my grandmother's old rock house.  Gran's house, while minus power, did have gas stoves, so it was at least warm.

Yes, the gas was still working and so were the telephones, so moments after the Great Ice War, I was getting to hear about it. I remember sitting in my friend's living room and being handed his phone, informed it was my grandmother.

Me: Hello?

Gran: Your mother was here to stay with me and I kicked her out because SHE told ME to shut up!

Me: .................oh.

About this time, the beep that I have another call is happening, so I tell Gran to hold on while I answer it.

Me: Hello?

Mom: We went to stay with Mother and she would NOT stop running her mouth it was just going on and on and when I suggested to her that maybe she could stop talking for a few minutes SHE KICKED US OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Me: ..............oh.

I don't even remember how I got them both off of the phone. I know it was somewhat involved.  Once they start ranting about each other, it's difficult to pull away from the discussion.  As always, I was in SHUT DOWN mode, saying as little as possible and making noncommittal statements as to not be drawn into the war.

Of course, inside I was livid.  I mean, there was a sheet of ice covering everything. How could they not manage to be civil (or at least manage to blow each other off) long enough to stay warm and safe until the sheet of ice was gone?

The reality was, they needed each other.  Mom needed Gran because she had heat and shelter. Gran needed Mom because it was scary and depressing to be stranded by ice and alone.  Somehow, this escaped them. I don't remember where Mom and her husband ended up staying, but I do know that my grandmother's hot water heater had some sort of melt down and she had to deal with ALONE because they couldn't manage to get along for two or three days.

There were so many places where this could have been resolved.  No one likes being told to shut up, especially in their own home.  At the same time, no one likes listening to someone talk constantly either. Still, Mom could have realized that Gran had been stranded for hours and just needed some human contact.  Gran could have realized that Mom just went through the harrowing experience of traveling to her house.  There could have been some kindness and sympathy on both of their parts. Some real communication.

I can't say that my way was any better.  While at times I would try to make peace of their wars, most often I just hid away, either physically or emotionally, from where ever the bombs were being dropped. I didn't want to be involved.

I guess if there is anything to take away from The Great Ice War, it's that when dealing with people who get the hell on our nerves, we should always try to be objective and realize that maybe their crazy isn't about us and that also, maybe a little crazy is worth it in order to get through the current situation.

That isn't to say you should let the annoying people win.  Just that sometimes, we all need shelter and someone beside us. Sometimes the crazies are all we have.