Buffalo, let's talk about it

I think when I tell people who aren't from here that I am from Buffalo, three things come to mind.

• Buffalo Bills
• Chicken Wings
• Snow

Which yes that is all true, we have but we are more than that. We are called the city of good neighbors, and I never understood that as a kid because I thought everyone was raised to help out. But moving out on my own I learned the value of that title.

In my 28 years of living, this is now my 3rd blizzard I have lived through. 

First the Octoberstorm, which I was still a kid in 2008 so I was over the moon excited. I didn't have to go to school, I got to play outside in the snow with my dog, I was living the childhood fantasy. Looking back at it now though, I remember we lost power, there was no way of going to the store. I thank my parents for holding it together and not showing the hardship it probably was to not only supply for multiple mouths in the house but to not let us worry.

Then came Snowvember in 2014. I was technically loving with my parents but the night before I was at my ex-boyfriends house and I got stuck there for a while. I remember that one, boy was it not the greatest. I woke up to go into work at Tim Hortons, and I couldn't find my car. As silly as it sounds, I didn't have my phone charger, my ex had a different phone than I did so I didn't have great communication skills with anyone. I was at least able to tell my job I couldn't make it, and tell my parents I was safe. Which I was. By the second day of being stuck in the house, the ex and I went and started to dig out my car. The neighbors, helped and we helped them. I never caught their names but it didn't matter, they were very nice and helpful through the craziest weather. 

Which brings me to the storm I'm dealing with currently. I'm not sure what they are calling it yet, I've heard the blizzard of 22, bomb cyclone, winter storm Elliott, but I think my favorite is Christ Mess of 22. 

Because that is exactly what it is. A. Mess. 

The wind is beyond crazy, blowing snow everywhere creating large drifts up against homes. Today on 24 December 2022 marks day two of this storm and let me just tell you, it's already been a journey. I lost my heat at eight at night. I have a wall heater with a vent on the outside of the house and, I have never been so cold in my own home to save my life. I am currently pumped with more hormones than normal, because well womanhood, so I started crying and I couldn't stop. I called my dad and I'm sure I scared him because he doesn't do great with crying, but the wind was so brutal no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get my heat back on. So I went to bed with too many blankets one can count, multiple layers of clothes and woke to seeing my breath in my own home. 

So I wallowed, I cried, and complained. But then I cleaned up, and looked in the mirror and said, "you are stronger than this and you can take care of this situation." 

That's exactly what I did. I put on my winter clothes, wrapped a scarf around my face and trekked out into the snow. I thank God for snow pants, because I had many drifts up to my waist. I had to go through the back door to get to my front porch because I couldn't push open my door. When I finally made it to the destination, my vent for my heater, I saw nothing but ice. So I spun my shovel around and beat the ice, taking my anger out for making me cold.

But then I noticed that there was ice inside the vent, so I dug out my front porch so I could get my hammer. Yes, you read that correctly, my hammer. But I knew not to beat the life out of the vent, so I lightly tapped it to break the ice up. I walked inside, took off my outer layer of clothes and got back to trying my heater. It took a bit, but I was determined and FINALLY I was able to get the heat to stay on.

So now it's hours after the incident and the snow falls are picking up again, but I at least know that if it goes out, I can fix it. I am so proud of myself for being able to do it all by myself and that feeling will never go away. 

I'm not sure how the rest of Buffalo is doing, but I know Cheektowaga is a bit of a mess right now. Can I say I've seen worse? No, but I can say things can only get better. Until then, Buffalo's Christmas Eve is in a whiteout with no end right now.

Until next time

this is me,

signing off

Nicole Lynn