In the early 1990s, I got stuck in an hours-long traffic jam on this far-flung old farm road during a snowstorm. Why was I there? No idea. The cold, the frustration, the fear my rickety car would fail and strand me where help would not come – those things I remember. They are the reason why I listen to nobody about when I should or should not venture out into snowstorms.

So when I read about an entire metropolitan area full of stranded men, women and children, I want to issue new rules. Here is one:

If the weather man tells you a storm is coming and your boss or the school superintendent insists you turn up, take a sick & tired day. No one will be more concerned for your safety than you.

How are you fixed for chicken soup, projects and rock salt?