Blizzard

Blizzard

Picture book
The Blizzard of '78 is an event I'll never forget. I was
working as a mother's helper in East Boston. It was the job that had
rescued me from being homeless in Boston which is never a good idea.
(My family was way down south, North Carolina to be exact.) The snow
rose up chest high on me, whipped by hurricane force winds. You
should have seen the drifts. Snow plows and other vehicles didn't
stand a chance. A little girl in the scout troop I was assistant
leader of needed an antibiotic. I made the trek to pick it up very
slowly, feeling like a Saint Bernard coming to the rescue. The very
surprised (to see me) pharmacist gave me a bag of all kinds of food to
sustain my strength on the trip back. The rest of that snowed in time
was party. I spent several nights sleeping over with a friend and her
three sisters.
So when I saw a book about John Rocco's childhood experiences of
that same blizzard in Rhode Island (Blizzard) I was over the moon.
His lively narrative and pictures give today's kids a good feel for
that amazing adventure we were fortunate to live through.
Rocco's adventure started on Monday when schools were let out
early. Snow was over his boots by the time he got home. The next
morning he could only get out through a window. The first days were
fun. But food started running out before the plows could get through.
Luckily for his family and neighbors, Rocco had read an Arctic
survival guide and knew just what to do.
Hmmm, I wonder if someday there will be a market for my story of
the Ice Storm of '98 which I wrote from my older daughter's
perspective. Maybe the 25th anniversary? It's just six years away.
On a personal note, the first day of Pride Week at UMaine was
amazing. The weather was picture perfect. The flag raising was a
real contrast to the raising of the Black Lives Matter flag in
February in the midst of a snow storm. Dean Robert Q. Dana gave a
very inspiring speech. We had a parade around the mall. The free ice
cream truck was there. Then we had the pride carnival with games and
prizes. It was a mighty fine day.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated.
jules hathaway


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