If you don't have anything else to do, read this.
Ah, MSL, I remember the Ice Storm of 98. Gray, wet, foggy days like this take me back. Since you aren't skiing today, let me entertain you with my story. This is going to get long, so either delete or get a cup of tea...
We had just moved in to our new house near Saratoga Springs just 3 weeks before. The movers put most of the cartons into the basement for us to sort through later. I spent hours going through the boxes. I was really upset. They had DESTROYED my belongings while they were in storage - scratched my antiques, crushed boxes, & ripped upholstery. They did things beyond careless, just malicious.
I know you won't believe this, but they scratched "dirty words" in my cherry entertainment center and someone urinated in my refrigerator!!!!! Ewww.
Then came the storm, and on January 6, 1998, I awoke to discover 5 inches of water in my basement, where all the cartons were floating. Mr. 2ski2moro was out of the country on business. The furnace electronics were under water, the water heater flame was out, and I had no phone service because the lines were wet. I went to a neighbor's and called the builder.
Actually, I called him every name I could think of. He came over apologizing that he had not installed a sump pump. He had his guys throw out the soaked cartons, after they repaired what they could.
Insurance doesn't cover water damage in a basement,
but the insurance agent sent over an adjuster just in case. "Don't move anything until she gets there," he said.
Four days later, I was sick and tired of smelling the stinky wet carpet and I made Mr. 2ski2moro remove it as soon as he returned. He said that he didn't think the carpet smelled bad, he thought it was the propane smell coming from the water heater.
I called 911, cracked open a window, put the dog in the Jeep and went to the end of the road, thinking we were about to watch our house explode. It didn't.
The fire department arrived within 5 minutes. All EIGHT trucks and about 50 guys. It was training night at the local volunteer firehouse, and everyone wanted to come. Fire jackets, big hats, air tanks, and big boots tromping through the mud of the new construction and into my new house on my new carpet...
When the guy with ax jumped off the truck, I said, "WAIT RIGHT THERE, I'll open the door for you. You do NOT need the ax."
As I stood at the end of my driveway in the flashing lights of the fire trucks, I met all my neighbors. It was so eerie in the fog, the red flashing lights, the firemen's flashlight beams moving around.
And then, a fireman came up to me. He asked me if I lived here. Yes. "Have you been having headaches?" Yes, thinking of all of the mover's hassles.
"Madam, you have high levels of carbon monoxide in your house.
Please step into the life squad and let me test your oxygen levels. You don't know how lucky you are to have a propane leak. If not for that, we wouldn't have come, you wouldn't know that the water heater flue was blocked, and you might have died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning!"
The next thing I knew, I was on the stretcher on the way to the hospital, facing backwards (which always makes me ill), oxygen mask on my face, trying not to throw up. They were doing all kinds of EMT stuff, and then they asked the question, How old are you?
I have been lying about my age for so long, I had to think about it. I had no clue. I tried to think let's see, I was born in 19XX, but I haven't had my birthday this year...1998 or wait, 97 take away XX...so I just asked them if I could tell him what year I was born. They started the lights and siren and started passing cars, thinking I was brain damaged. It made me laugh. My brain was fine, I just have bad math genes.
After several hours in the hospital on oxygen, I was released. Hmm, another problem. Mr. 2ski2moro didn't know where I was. The phone wasn't working. He didn't have his cell phone. I didn't know the neighbor's last name.
In the meantime, Mr. 2ski2moro couldn't find me. He had been working with the plumber to get the propane leak on the water heater fixed and get the flue pipe cleared. Someone told him that they had taken me to the hospital. He didn't know where the hospital was. He finally found the hospital, and we were reunited in the ER.
We lost thousands of $$$ in damaged goods. Worst of all were those things that cannot get replaced after they get wet. Yet, they are just things. I have my health and no one suffered long term ill effects. Mr. 2ski2moro had no problem at all, as he went to work everyday and was not exposed to the CO in the house as much as I.
Despite all that I went through, I have much to be thankful for. Others did not fare as well during the Ice Storm of 98.
So, tomorrow, if the snow is lousy and you decide not to go skiing, go out to get a Carbon Monoxide detector. Keep dry, and think snow!
Not even good for firewood (we burn it anyway, it's the only way to get rid of the felled ones). Plus they grow like WEEDS. 
Like 20 degrees warmer than Saturday! Sadly....history for now...
