Your Weekly Antics, Snow-pocolypse 2026 Edition...1/25/26

Well kids, it's been a few weeks, but I'm back. Hopefully you’re all hunkered down and properly prepared for Snow-pocolypse 2026. In the event you’re out and about and find yourselves in the 02 and anywhere near The Burns Estate…unknown to Jim Burns, he is hosting a Pat’s game party, so stop on by. Here’s what I’ve got…

1. The past few days we have been inundated with weather forecasts, doomsday preppers and minute by minute updates of when the flakes would begin to fly. We’ve been told what items would be needed to properly prepare and have seen newscasters camped out in local grocery stores showing us shelves and grocery aisles that have been stripped bare. Here’s a fun fact…this is New England; it’s not our first rodeo. Grab ya milk, bread and beer, hunker down and enjoy it. That’s all there is to it.

 2. Here’s what I’m thinking…one would think if you grew up in and live in New England, someone would have started the custom of drinking while out storm prep shopping, making an event out of it…kind of like those “shop and sip” parties we hear about. I would love to see some random guy walking around his local grocery store with an open Bud Light while perusing the aisles looking for his choice of snacks and foods, he felt were essential to feed himself and his family during the Pat’s game today. This may be why Al doesn’t allow me to grocery shop with him…he’s afraid I’ll start this new fad, get lost in the alcohol section of Wegmans, grab my drink of choice, and then start filling our grocery cart with chips and peanut m&m’s. Next storm, I’m going…I’ll keep you posted on how I make out. Exhibit 1, Harley is like Sue Miller...her drink of choice is Miller Lite.

3. There has been a lot of talk online and in the news about the city of Worcester’s poorly plowed and treated streets. If you’re out and about, as soon as you hit city limits and head into towns like Holden and West Boylston, you’ll see the lines showing the treatment solution has been put down. Not here in the Woo kids. Here, we take our chances out there on the road. Word is, the city is looking for plow drivers, so should you be so inclined to brave the elements in search of some extra cash, check this out…maybe I'll slap a plow on the front of the Kia. https://www.worcesterma.gov/streets/winter-weather/snow-removal

 4. The weather forecasters lied to us again. They told us that flakes would begin to fly at approximately 11am this morning. This was an approximation, I understand this. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the snow started here on my corner at 9:15am. The middle kid and I ventured out to get coffee at On the Rise on Pleasant Street (sorry Joe Burns, we should’ve stopped by to drag you out to come with us…) and thought we’d be nice and top off the gas tank of the youngest Kap kids 2000 Toyota Camry. These flurries started out innocently enough but quickly turned on us, getting messy and slicking up the untreated Worcester roads and streets. However, the Camry pushed on, weaving in and out of other fancier newer cars with more pizzazz, but none of those fancy cars possessed the finesse and road reliability that the Camry did. She got us home in one piece and is now safely tucked away in the driveway. Exhibit 2, check out that fine piece of machinery...

5.  Speaking of weather forecasters, our Antics amateur weather watchers, Al and Mary Parenteau have been slacking. Despite their claims to be keeping track of some of the top meteorological sites, they too failed to inform me that the snow would begin way before 11am today. Get it together.

6.  While out and about, we found the Tatnuck Mobil was already out of gas at two of their pumps. There were tons of people like us who listened to the weather forecasters believing that the snow wouldn’t start until 11 am and were on the road running for their essentials in Tatnuck Square. The CVS lot was packed, people storming Crowley’s liquor store and the drive thru line at Dunkins was out to the street holding up traffic at the light. True New Englanders recognize what the essentials really consist of – coffee and booze and not necessarily in that order.

7. Remember the days when our places of work and businesses closed because of big snowstorms? Thanks again COVID, you’re still screwing us. Now that everyone and their brother is up and running with the ability to work from home, snow days for the non-essential workforce no longer exist. With that said, the work of the people never stops.

Exhibit 3, Jill's super fancy ESWA travel

mug that I may or may not have stolen from her...

8. Speaking of the work of the people never stopping, some of Worcester’s finest may or may not have been seen shoveling out Sue Miller’s house last week. They happened upon her house while working in her neighborhood and got to it before the Kap kids did.

9. Amazon never rests regardless of the weather, and Gibson is relying on that fact for entertainment during this storm. Package delivery has become a game to Gibson, one that he continues to be winning. We recently found his stash of stolen and chewed up deliveries in our yard – safely secured in a pile behind the shed. If anyone is in need of half-eaten and destroyed items, the pile continues to grow as he feels he needs to squirrel away our deliveries for the winter. Exhibit 4, only one stolen package of the bunch...

10. In case anyone’s wondering, Beet is also not deterred by the winter weather. Exhibit 5, her findings while out and about on her walk today on the Boston Streets.

And last but not least…hope you all stay warm and safe, hunkered down for the storm! Keep you faucets trickling, phones and portable chargers plugged in, and flashlights handy.

Go PATS!!!

Have a great week!