Glaze

The word glaze usually conjures up visions of cakes and cookies enshrouded with a thin blanket of sweet goodness. Those of us living in the upper Plains have another meaning for glaze and it is not quite as comforting as its culinary counterpart. Glaze can also be a meteorological term which is (and I quote) "a thin coating of ice that forms when super cooled liquid precipitation falls onto exposed objects whose temperature is below or slightly above freezing." We have another term for such a weather event  around here and that is "Yuck."

Our local TV meteorologists are in the midst of training all their viewers on the latest terminology for winter weather events.  We now have Winter Storm Watches, Winter Storm Warnings, Winter Weather Advisories, Blizzard Watches, Wind Chill Warnings, Ice Storm Warnings, Blizzard Warnings and Freezing Rain Advisories. Adding to the mix we have live Doppler, European weather models and American weather models for forecasting said events.  It is no wonder why many of us want to curl up in a ball and eat bacon for the rest of the winter.

Unfortunately, we experienced the dreaded "Glaze and Winter Storm Warning" this past weekend. There is a general rhythm to such events around here. It begins with hordes of people descending upon the grocery stores to pick up milk, bread and copious amounts of snacks in preparation for impending doom. Hardware stores are flooded with requests for Ice Melt products, shovels and snow blowers. Cell phones ping away with weather warning information. Frothing TV meteorologists share the latest radar updates. And TV reporters with the least seniority are sent outdoors to shiver and shake their way through reports on deteriorating weather conditions.

We learn to live in the moment with weather events. The ping-ping of ice crystals scratching away on our window panes is a sure sign we will have to change travel plans or experience white-knuckled driving (not advised). Whooshing winds remind us to beware, especially if snow and black ice are added to the mix. Dimply ice coatings on our windshields require sturdy ice scrapers and defrosters running full bore. Our feet send weather messages to our brain as we navigate various sidewalk coatings. Slick sidewalks require the penguin walk. Snowy terrain can be crunchy, fluffy or sticky, all demanding specific foot work for safe movement. High winds cause us to "turtle up" as we scrunch our heads down into our parkas and keep our hoods tied up snugly. Stinging nasal passages let us know the wind chill factor is dropping.

I am grateful for the advances in meteorology and weather prediction techniques. One just has to read The Children's Blizzard to be reminded of the alternative. I am also grateful for something in our lives that we cannot completely control. It reminds us of a power greater than ourselves and it is okay if we need each other to help us survive.

My weather advice for all is simple. Stay aware of your surroundings and above all, make sure your glaze recipes includes cream. And lots of butter.