"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> "U.S. Janet B." wrote:
>>
>> Gary wrote:
>>
>> >Julie Bove wrote:
>> >>
>> >> One of my friends just posted to
>> >> FB that there is another TP shortage where she lives. She doesn't live
>> >> in
>> >> this state.
>> >
>> >It's the damn news media. They are creating another shortage
>> >by saying another shortage is on the way. People hear this and
>> >think, "eh oh, I better stock up." And here we go again.
>> >
>> >I went to the grocery Thursday and the toilet paper section is
>> >almost empty again. <sigh>
>>
>> there are people out there who can think ahead. They know if they are
>> required to stay at home for lengthy periods and have curbs put on
>> their shopping opportunities, there is a possibility of running out.
>> So, they stock up.
>
>> What happens to the stores when a hurricane is
>> predicted? Everyone buys toilet paper.
>
> You have hurricanes in your area? Never heard of one.
>
> And in real life, living right on the coast for almost
> 50 years now, you would be surprised at what people panic
> buy right before a hurricane. It's odd.
>
> Never a buyout of toilet paper. Store worker friends have
> told me that the #1 thing that sells out right before a
> big storm is meat. Go figure. I suppose all those people
> have backup generators.

We've had a couple here but they took us quite by surprise. No time to stock
up. Once, in Jr. High, they suddenly told us to go home. It was halfway
through class and just after lunch time. Sure enough, we were having a
hurricane. Most of us walked to school. So we had to walk home in a
torrential downpour and hideous wind. We only had two buses. I don't know
what happened to the kids who rode the bus. Weird thing is, I had friends
who rode the bus. One actually lived two blocks closer to the school than
me. Never figured that one out.

The others lived on the other side of a busy street. I think in that case it
was more a matter of having to cross the street than actual distance.

I just remember having such a hard time getting home. My mom always insisted
I carry an umbrella if it was supposed to rain. The umbrella did more harm
than good, acting like a sail.

There were so many of us on the sidewalk at once! On a normal day, many of
us had after school activities our would stay behind, chatting. But now we
were all out there at once. We figured, safety in numbers! We just grabbed
the arm of the person next to us and huddled in groups as we inched our way
down the sidewalk.

This worked until we got closer to home and then we had to break from the
group. I had to walk several blocks by myself because no one else was going
that way. At least part of that walk was facing another direction so it
wasn't so bad.

It was so dark outside and the power went off. Thankfully our garage door
was never kept locked unless we went away for vacation. I never did have a
front door key until I was an adult.

My mom wasn't home. She was working at the church and just stayed there
until it was time for my brother and I to come home. He was in elementary
school. His school was next door to mine. They kept those kids there until a
parent could pick them up.

My parents were furious that my school forced us out into the elements like
that. It happened on a Friday. We had no power all weekend. I remember being
so cold all weekend from having gotten soaked out in the elements. We did
have two fireplaces but they were rarely used. My dad only burned Presto
Logs and I doubt that he had any then. He'd buy a few prior to Thanksgiving
as we normally have bad storms around that time. And in those days when our
power went off, it stayed off for two weeks.

We did have a two burner gas hot plate type thing in the basement. We'd heat
water on it for bathing and use it for heating cans of soup or chili. We had
a gas radiator down there as well but I think somehow it was also connected
to electricity as it never worked when the power went off. Neither did our
gas furnace as it had an electric starter.