Headlines on the national news and weather channels are all about the weather. “Major storm coming! Are you prepared?”

Chuck’s Texas cousins are ready. One of them posted a picture of her stockpile of toilet paper and firewood. Oh, wait, that was a meme. Never mind. I’m sure they have a few bottles of wine and cozy blankets.

We, on the other hand, did nothing to prepare. In the interest of clarity, our forecast wasn’t for snow, ice, or sleet. Our forecast was for bitter, bitter cold. How cold is it? Every area district closed their schools, and I didn’t even have to check all the channels to find that out. Many churches and businesses closed as well, and some cut their hours. The vintage mall that we like closed early yesterday after their “slowest day ever” and decided to stay closed today – a wise decision on their part.

But preparations? Well, we did make sure all of our windows were closed completely and locked, but we did that weeks ago. All the shades and curtains are closed to provide an extra layer of insulation – something we do almost every night. A humidifier is running in the den, the room we live in the most. I haven’t turned on the gas fireplace (yet), but I may use it tonight. In summary, nothing unusual. And we stayed home. Not.

I wish we could have stayed home. Chuck considered calling in “cold” for his volunteer shift at the local history museum, but since his car started (almost) willingly, he did the shift. On my part, cancer took charge. I had an appointment for a radiation simulation; a scan to set up for radiation treatments. Those treatments will start in a few weeks. Hopefully, by then the weather will be better.