Sue, do you have beans? Or rice? I find that beans and rice are two great "stretchers" for meat products, the beans can be mixed with meat for burritos, chili, etc., and I often serve chili over a baked potato or with pasta, stretching it even further. The rice can be a casserole with very little chicken or can be used with a bit of pork or seafood for fried rice.

Oatmeal is another thing you can use to stretch breadcrumbs, put it in the blender or food processor and grind it, it can take the place of crumbs in meatloaf and breading items.

Do you have baking supplies? Milk? Eggs? Anything in the freezer?

Annie

Hi Annie! I do have rice but no beans, except a jar of 3-bean salad and a package of dry garbanzo beans (bought a couple weeks ago because I was planning to make Lars' hummus for the first time). I can certainly make rice casseroles--good idea!

I do have lots of oatmeal; it never occurred to me to use it for breading, though I do use it in meatloaf.

I have a quart of milk and a dozen eggs, but I've got to use them sparingly, so they'll last. Fortunately, I do have meat and an assortment of veggies in the freezer. I also have a few onions, green pepper, and an eggplant. I have baking supplies (including yeast that's expired but not discarded yet), but my cousin is diabetic and won't eat most desserts, so I don't bake them. I have enough bread, I think.

I don't want to overdramatize this; I know we won't starve, and we have most of the basics. But I'll do a lot better if I can make our supplies last longer.

Thanks, Sue

Well, I guess quiche is out, along with bread pudding and custard!

Good luck, the meat and veggies in the freezer are a big help, but I don't know what I'd do if I ran out of onions, I'd be completely perplexed.

Plus, with a diabetic in the household, you're going to have to hold the carbs down too, so you're going to be challenging your cooking abilities, that's for sure.

Annie

This certainly is an excessive amount of snow, isn't it?

Have you got any Indian spices in the house, to go with the chickpeas?

I think a fresh bread product always makes a meal seem more satisfying. I recently made Indian Fry Bread, and loved it. It's quick and would be great with some meat and veggies thrown on top. It doesn't have to rise much, so your old yeast would probably do fine, even if it's not at its peak.

I used up my last measly shallot this morning. Truly, it's horrifying. I am walking distance of a grocery store though, so may have to make the hike. . .

I was going to suggest an easy soup that I make, but you do need beans. Here the kids don't like it, adults love it.
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 can white beans
1 pkg. kielbasa
1 jar pasta sauce
some broth
hot sauce
any other seasoning you like.

If you have any similar ingredients, you could try it.
The kielbasa gives it a nice flavor.
Do you maybe have some evaporated milk.
I keep several cans and almost never use it. It could help stretch your milk.

I think garbanzos can be subbed for just about any other bean. They'll look funny of course. :)

Jessica, you're lucky to be within walking distance of a grocery store. Mine is a couple miles away; however, I walked it Monday (the buses weren't running) because we needed prescriptions at the store's pharmacy. Since I was there anyway, I picked up some onions, bananas, cheese, etc, which I carried back, with a bag in each hand. It was a long trek, and my legs are still sore!

My Mom always said that every Jewish recipe starts with "Take an onion ...," and that's the way I cook, too.

I don't think I have any Indian spices, except curry powder, but you've given me a good idea: chick pea recipes. I will have to look for some that aren't too hot. I'm curious about the Indian Fry Bread, too; is that similar to pita bread? That would be good, too.

Sue

Popcorn! Make a big batch, and crisp it in the oven @ 200 degrees (for up to four hours).

Cook up the chickpeas. Half for italian, half for indian. Italian: Green pepper, eggplant, onion, chickpeas and hopefully some canned tomatoes or reconstituted dried ones. Add a splash of red wine. Season with italian or greek--basil, oregano, thyme, fennel, whatever you like. Serve over rice, with grated parm. on top if you have it, if not, some chopped walunts.
Indian: frozen vegetables of your choice, mine would be broccoli and spinach and maybe the pea/carrot stuff if I had it. Season with whatever curry powder you like. Serve over rice.
Oat scones.
Broccoli rice casserole with canned soup if you have it.
Risi e bisi - rice and peas. Can easily be made into soup with addition of broth and some bacon, ham or even fake bacon bits if you have those for salads. This combo goes well with small soup pasta too--peas and pastina are great in soup! I keep dried onions around for just this type of emergency--and little else!

Join the club, mtnester! I'm a bit south of you in Montgomery County. If it's any consolation, the intensity of the storm seems to be getting a bit less. You'll be able to out tomorrow.
I found that oatmeal (unflavored) can be use to stretch ground beef and bread crumbs. I made chili with chick peas (not bad at all - just looks funny. Tonight, I'm making a creamy acorn squash soup with some olllld squash. And maybe you can use corn meal for some applications.

Good luck. This is getting very old, very fast.

This is such an intersting topic. It really makes me wonder how long we could eat with groceries on hand. I stop at the store once or twice a week to pick up stuff on the way home. I don't like to keep too much fresh produce on hand so that would easily be the first thing to run out. But I have a lot of meat in the freezer so we could live on that for weeks.

I like to make what I call mish-mosh. Some kind of starch (noodles, rice, potatoes, for example), some kind of meat (chopped chicken, ground beef), throw in some veggies, fresh or frozen. Whatever spices/herbs sound good. Sometimes I'll add in tomato sauce or a cream o' soup or cheese. It's a sort of "whatever I have on hand" kind of dish.

Another idea, keep things simple. Grilled cheese sandwiches or pancakes for example.

OR, now's the time to dig into the pantry and pull out the cans of "I don't know why I bought this but it needs to get used up". LOL

Sorry I don't have specific recipes, but you can look at it as a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. What's the ETA on digging out of all that white stuff?

Ruth, I have spinach, pasta sauce, and broth; maybe I could invent something similar, using a few of the garbanzo beans, as fori suggested. No evap milk, unfortunately.

Claire, popcorn is a great idea, and I do have some. That will take care of a lot of snacking.

Lpink, I am going to use both of your suggestions for the chickpeas. Amazingly, I think I have all the ingredients you listed! The other dishes sound good, too.

Thanks for all the ideas! All these options are calming me down; I can do this!

Sue

Pasta, pasta, pasta. Tuna noodle casserole? Chili? Pasta with vegetables and meat? Pasta with meat and vegetables. Any cans of tomatoes or tomato sauce? Baked beans, hot dogs? Waffles, pancakes? Shepherds pie, beef stew, chicken stew.

Good luck.

Fry bread is basically like flat bread/ lavash. You can make the dough with water, so you'd basically just be using up some flour. (Some falafel would also make a great topping, if you have any chickpeas left over!) If you've got potatoes, a Spanish tortilla would be an easy way to make a full meal out of a few eggs. I made one this morning and highly recommend adding sauteed onions.

http://www.powersource.com/cocinc/cookbook/fry.htm

http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/falafelrecipe.htm

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/spanish-tortilla.aspx

I can't even imagine having as much snow as you're having, mtnester. This recipe is very hearty and you can stretch it with more potatoes if you have plenty and it reheats well. I have not ever needed to make substitutions but I think you said you had meat in the freezer and if you have canned goods you may be fine.

Hungry Man's Stew

Brown together:
1 lb. ground beef, 1/4 lb. hot pork sausage, 2 large onions, chopped.
Add :
1/4 teas. cayenne pepper,1 teas. garlic salt, 2 cups crushed tomatoes, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 teas. worstershire sauce. Simmer for 2 hours. Last 30 minutes add, 3 med. potatoes diced and 1 can cream style corn. Salt to taste.

If you don't have the cream style corn you could probably substitute frozen corn, I'm not sure about leaving out the sausage if you don't have that but it would probably work.

Good luck to you.

jude

Save the heels of your bread for making dried bread crumbs. You can dry them in your oven with the light on and then grate on a box grater or zap in a food processor. I've never bought bread crumbs in my 57-years. I thought that's what bread was for... When you make all your own breads you're not inclined to waste any so all heels get dried and used. I even have a small collection of recipes that I use homemade bread crumbs in them for cookies, pancakes, muffins, steamed pudding, etc...

So many great suggestions! I can't respond to each of you individually, but I thank all of you! Elisa, you're right: I love the first snow of the season (makes me feel like a kid rejoicing about a snow day), but it gets old, fast!

Lowspark, Momj47, and Jude, we're on the same wavelength; I make mishmosh, pasta, and stew all the time, too. And you're right; this is the time to take a closer look at what's lurking in the corners of my pantry and use up the stuff I've forgotten about.

Just had a brainstorm: I'll make a kugel (noodle pudding)with my Lactaid cottage cheese, noodles (plus some pasta shells to stretch it), apples/apple sauce, cinnamon, raisins (if only I had any), and a couple eggs. A meatless meal!

Since the garbanzo beans need a lot of time for soaking, I'll plan on one of those meals for tomorrow.

Sue

You have already been given a lot of suggestions so I will add just two. Both are from Allrecipes.com and our family regular meals.

1) cottage cheese patties: (call for 3 eggs but I never use that many)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetarian-Cottage-Cheese-Patties/Detail.aspx

2) On top of the chickpea burgers you can make, chickpeas can be used with curry to make a meal. My husband and our son love this curry chickpea dish. If you don't have all the spices it will be all right. Just use whatever you have. Spices are just a matter of preference.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chickpea-Curry/Detail.aspx

Hang in there!

Al

If you make soup stretch it with noodles or rice. When in a pinch any kind of noodles or rice will do. You can make quiet a few things with noodles; plain buttered noodles, garlic noodles with pinenuts, herbed noodles, cheese sauce noodles, and on and on.

Grainlady, I'm in awe of your 6 to 12 months of food in the pantry! Even though I have enough meat, frozen leftovers, tuna, etc, for 3 weeks or more, I need to shop weekly so that I'll have an assortment of fresh vegetables and fruit and so that I can restock/rotate the packaged and canned items. For the most part, my system is working, and I normally have backups for essential items, but this experience is teaching me to stock up on other kinds of products, too, so that I'll have enough flexibility and variety.

I'm definitely going to try making my own bread crumbs. Can they be stored in the pantry, or do they need refrigeration? I like your other suggestions, too, and will probably try the granola and tortilla chips.

Al, the cottage cheese patties sound wonderful! They reminds me of an old Weight Watchers recipe for cottage cheese on toast, with vanilla, cinnamon, etc. It was great for breakfast. Also, the chick pea burgers remind me of falafel, and I'm sure we'll love them.

Beverly, now that I've made the kugel, I'm out of noodles, but thanks for all the suggestions.

Thanks to all of you, the wheels are turning in my brain. Lots of good ideas here. And May was right: I'm finding unexpected treasures on my pantry shelves.

Sue

mtnester - I'm in Anne Arundel County - too much snow! And the wind!
The blizzard should end around 10 pm tonite, but the wind will pick up and be strong all thru tomorrow. They are calling for very high drifts, so do not walk far tomorrow.
I can't add anything to stretching your food, other then to say I make bread crumbs and keep them in the freezer.
Yesterday, I went to our local market to buy onions and a pound of shrimp (it was on sale)in case the power went out. That was my big purchase for the emergency. ~LOL. I also keep a well stocked kitchen, I just don't always want to eat what I have.
North of Baltimore is worse then we are, and this is no longer fun:)

I can't add much more advice either. I did hear on the radio that some stores were out of a lot things. I'm thinking it will take a few days for them to start getting stock back in. So rushing to the store tomorrow might not be worth it...for sure if you are walking. I remember the two ice storms we went through and it was slim pickings at the store. Even though they were running on generators they had no dairy, meat, or fozen foods at all. They had to trash all of it. Produce was hit and miss and most of the prepared canned goods were sold out too.

Be safe and take care!

David

Sue, no recipes or adivse you have gottensome good things already.

I think this goes to show that one should always have the emergency supplies in the house. While I don't go to the extent that Grainlady does, I have about 3 to 4 months worth in the house. It might not be pretty or gourmet, but it would feed us. Canned goods, beans, rices, pastas, and frozen meals too. And don't forget any pet supplies. Stash 5 to 7 days worth of meds if you can also. Pack meds and dry goods in a foodsaver type packaging. It preserves and keeps dry. Also copies of insurance papers.

I would rather toss some things after a year or so, then need them and not have them. I think this comes from my granparents and parents being in the midst of WWII, and in need of everything while being bombed.

Hang in there and you can always call a neighbor and swap stuff!

You've received good suggestions above. The only thing I'd add is, if you have extra cottage cheese and spinach, you can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta for dishes like lasagna, calzones, and baked ziti. If you have a pork roast in the freezer/fridge, pulled pork or the equivalent is filling and requires minimal ingredients.

You may have luck at the grocery store if you can get out tomorrow; I'm in Alexandria VA, and we went to the local Shopper's yesterday morning to replenish eggs, milk, fresh produce, peanut butter and bagels, and everything was very well stocked. I expected to see bare shelves but there were none. Fortunately it's just me and DH, and I keep our small upright freezer pretty stuffed, so we've been eating quite well. That said, I think I may have to buy some canned goods & other shelf stable foods to create an 'emergency food' stash to store in the basement. I have tons of brown rice, couscous, etc., but the only canned foods we keep on hand are beans, tomatoes, pineapple, and various sauces; so if we didn't have power, the pickings would be quite slim.

MagothyRiverGirl, I'm in the northwest corner of Baltimore city. There seem to be a lot of us in the Baltimore-DC area here on the CF.

Every time I look out the window, I'm amazed at the landscape--almost unrecognizable! The evergreens on either side of my front porch steps are totaled; even the hedges are bent to the ground. I know we're fortunate that we're warm and dry, and the power is still on. (I'm intentionally saving the cans of tuna and other ready-to-eat foods just in case a tree branch falls on a power line and cuts off our electricity--G-d forbid!)

Many folks have it worse than we do, because they can't afford--or aren't organized and forward-thinking enough--to stock up or buy in bulk, so they simply don't have more than a few days' worth of food. I always have backups for products that I don't buy on a weekly basis but consider essential, such as coffee, oatmeal, dishwasher detergent, and DH's favorite snacks.

David's remark reminded me that, when I made my "emergency" run to the store on the evening before the first snowstorm, the shelves were already depleted of many common items, like ground beef, eggs, and bread, so I couldn't stock up on them and had to choose substitutes where I could.

Peppi, that is an excellent point about the medicines and other emergency items. Each week, before I shop, I usually check with everyone about prescriptions that will need refilling in the next week or two. But since my regular shopping trips were cancelled for 2 weeks, our timing was off.

Every day, several of my neighbors and I have been checking on each other, and I'm sure we'll swap or help each other out if we're homebound much longer.

I just wanted to add that these suggestions would also help in the case of a hurricane, flood, or other type of emergency. The hardest thing is not knowing how long it will be till supplies can be replenished. It's like making a budget when you don't know when you'll get your next paycheck.

Sue

I buy milk in those aesceptic boxes since I use it up so slowly, and also keep evap. milk and dried milk on hand. That helps out a lot in emergencies. I'm so financially strapped I eat emergency ration style most of the time anyway, lol! About the only thing I would hate to run out of is eggs, and there is no real pantry substitute for those. Luckily I just bought two dozen this week before the storm hit. Cheese is another thing that I run out of a lot, but I guess you can freeze it. I used to buy the shredded cheese and freeze it to use a little bit at a time in casseroles and such, but I can't afford that anymore. Cheese goes moldy on me all the time now, I should get in the habit of freezing it in smaller chunks. The key for me to pantry happiness is having a lot of cans of tomatoe stuff--there is so much you can do with that. I also keep tuna and canned salmon and frozen bread for breadcrumbs so can always do fish patties if I have EGGS. I'd save my eggs for binding things and baking and use the oatmeal for breakfasts. I think I'd be good to go for about two weeks right now if I had time to cook and bake. I'd survive with soup and breads and pasta and rice mixed with various frozen or canned veggies and beans. I got a bunch of bread at the food pantry so my freezer is well stocked with bread and I freeze butter too. That and my home canned goods, which are fun for quick meals--home canned chilis are great for a mexican dinner, with canned enchilada sauce, the frozen cheese, frozen tortillas (you can use cornbread in a pinch) refried beans and maybe some frozen corn or this "mexican mix" frozen veggies I get. I keep those frozen veggie combos stacked up in the freezer, they are my usual emergency, what can I make for dinner fast standby.

Sue, I also make all my own breadcrumbs, from whatever kind of bread is sitting and getting stale. I just break it into chunks and put it into the food processor or the blender until it's as fine as I want it.

I keep them in the freezer, but be sure to label them if you make different kinds, right now I have white, whole wheat and some from beer/cheese bread. I once used the cheese bread crumbs to top something sweet, and it wasn't such a good idea, LOL.

Annie

Hey Sue,
Just a couple more thoughts, although you've already gotten so many great ideas. I think it's a good idea to keep the canned goods on hand as long as possible just in case the electricity goes out.

You could use some of those chickpeas in a Moroccan-style couscous or tagine. Eggplant, some onion, chickpeas, chicken or lamb or whatever you might have in the freezer, raisins or dates or other dried fruit; paprika, maybe some nutmeg , maybe a bit of saffron or tumeric or coriander, even adding a cinnamon stick or cloves (I'm trying to guess what spices you might have on hand).

Or maybe one with chicken and olives and lemon juice if you had any frozen juice.

And if you don't have cous cous, rice or flat bread would work fine.

How about savory crepes? Slow cooked beef in a bit of red wine, canned mushrooms, and herbs such as rosemary, oregano as a filling.

Or shepherd's pie. Ground beef or lamb, cooked slowly. If you're running low on onion, just add whatever you want in the frozen veggie department... peas, beans. A bit of tomato paste and worchestershire sauce, add the mashed potatoes on top (maybe with garlic powder if you're out of fresh) and bake.

Do you have sour cream and paprika? Chicken or pork paprikash over egg noodles.

Stay warm and enjoy the slow time when you can't go anywhere.

Ann

Robin, you have a good point. I thought I had all I needed with regard to canned and boxed products, but I'm re-evaluating my "stash" in light of this experience. From now on, I'll have to think in terms of weeks, not days.

Peppi has started a new thread on being prepared for all types of emergencies, which I'm linking to, below.

I've been buying peanut butter to add to the seeds and suet in my bird feeders, but I think I'll have to hoard it for myself! ;-)

Annie, thanks for the advice on breadcrumbs. That's something I ought to do anyway, as I use them a lot, and I could surely save some money if I made them myself.

Ann, I've never cooked with dried chick peas before (although I like store-bought hummus and falafel from a mix), so I'm intrigued with all the possibilities. I've made shepherd's pie and have the ingredients, so that will be added to my list. And you're right: there's something wonderful about canceling appointments and being freed from the usual obligations, plus having my family here with me at home. It could be worse ...

Thanks again for all the suggestions and ideas!

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: emergency foods

Bread Crumbs...

Because I make my bread with coconut oil, I don't have a problem storing homemade bread crumbs vacuum-sealed in a canister because I use it a lot. Coconut oil keeps foods much longer and doesn't readily go rancid like other fats do. Freezing or refrigerating will also work well.

Emergency Eggs...

It's a good idea to have things on hand you can use as a substitute for eggs. For me, that's flax seed. Made into flax seed "goop", it does nicely in most recipes requiring an egg. You can also use flaxmeal (ground flax seed) as a substitute.

One egg in a recipe usually serves as a binder in the recipe. In that case, almost any egg substitute will work. Two or three eggs in a recipe typically provide leavening. That's when Ener-G Egg Replacer is a good choice.

--In most cases eggs can be eliminated from pancake and waffle recipes.

--In cookies without eggs, add 1/4 t. more baking soda, increase liquid to one tablespoon per egg AND 1/2 to 1-teaspoon more cooking oil or fat.

Some other choices...
-2 T. cornstarch = 1 egg
-2 T. arrowroot flour = 1 egg (good binder in baked goods)
-1 heaping T. soy powder + 2 T. water = 1 egg
-1 T. flax seeds + 1 cup water. Blend seeds and water for 1-2 minutes until desired consistency. OR Boil 1 T. flax seed in 1 cup of water for 15-minutes. It will cook down to 1/2-3/4 c. Cool, and add to baked goods, substituting for part of the liquid ingredients. This mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and used as needed.
-Lecithin and water to equal 1/4-cup = one egg
-1/4 c. mashed potatoes = 1 egg and can be used in cookies as a substitute
-One whole egg = 2 T. water + 1 T. oil + 2 t. baking powder
-One banana or 1/4 c. applesauce for each egg (use only if banana or applesauce would taste good in the recipe)

-Grainlady

Sue - how ya doing? I've been out shoveling all day -alone - DH cannot help. I am frozen and tired. Snowplow came thru - blocked my driveway that I spent 6 hours clearing - had alittle "chat" with the next driver!
A sailboat completely sank across the river - It makes me sick to see it. I know, not life threatening, not a live aboard, but it is a major property casualty of the storm.
My son lives in Federal Hill - I worry about his flat roof - I'm sure he would have called if there was bad news - they always seem to be able to find us when something bad happens :)
Last night I made shrimp salad for dinner and red roasted pepper soup from Trader Joes. That's one of the emergency soups I like to keep on hand - it requires nothing added to it - and it is okay for DH with heart issues.
I will say, it is much more difficult being prepared for emergencies foodwise when there are diet restrictions. As long as we do not lose electricity for any lenght of time. we'll be fine. This is the first time, we haven't lost power - usually it goes out for a few days when the weather is bad.
Hope all is well with the rest of the northeast folks.

We, north of the city, have been plowed out by our neighbors, they love those toys, and my neighbors cleared my driveway. My front walk will not be cleared - too deep, it will have to melt.

I will be going back to work tomorrow, though I'll be going in late. I've worked about 6 hours this week. I could get used to that schedule.

I have power, but the wind is still howling over the ridge. Now they are saying we may get more snow later this weekend. Sigh........................

Mago, I live in Federal Hill as well, and my flat roof is doing fine :-)

Sue, are you dug out yet? I was happy to make it to the store and buy some more garlic and onions.

Yes, our street was actually plowed this morning (!), and DH spent the afternoon digging out the car, so I'll probably venture out tomorrow for my cousin's doctor appointment (I already cancelled it, but they'll probably take us if we show up). He broke his ankle 6 weeks ago, and he's very anxious to get the cast off tomorrow--I hate to make him wait till next week.

Not sure when I'll do the food shopping, but I'm hopeful that it'll be soon (i.e., before the *next* storm comes through--sigh!). My shopping list is very long. Glad to hear the rest of you are doing OK, too. Can't wait for Spring!

Sue

Yes, our street was actually plowed this morning (!), and DH spent the afternoon digging out the car, so I'll probably venture out tomorrow for my cousin's doctor appointment (I already cancelled it, but they'll probably take us if we show up). He broke his ankle 6 weeks ago, and he's very anxious to get the cast off tomorrow--I hate to make him wait till next week.

Not sure when I'll do the food shopping, but I'm hopeful that it'll be soon (i.e., before the *next* storm comes through--sigh!). My shopping list is very long. Glad to hear the rest of you are doing OK, too. Can't wait for Spring!

Sue

wow, Sue is so excited that she's plow out that she posted twice, LOL.

I'm glad to hear that you are able to get out and about, good luck with your cousin and the cast.

We've been having a mild snow winter here, it snows every day but just an inch or so. Last year I stopped counting at 130 inches, but we also got that a few inches at a time, not 30 inches at a time!

We're pretty darned good at moving snow here, but we have places to put it. In the cities, they can plow but they have to truck the stuff out of town, now THAT could slow things down a lot.

Annie

Well, Annie, Baltimore is closing in on White Cloud's total: we're up to 79 inches (45 of them in the past week). On our trip to the doctor this morning, the narrow single-lane pathways between towering "walls" of snow reminded me of the luge in the Olympics! Now that I know that I *can* go to the grocery store, I'm not in any rush; I think I'll wait till Sunday, my usual shopping day.

I do appreciate the great ideas from the folks here. Extending my stock of staples was my original intention, but this discussion has spurred me to try some new recipes and strategies for economy, so it has had long-term benefits, too. Thanks, everybody!

So you're not going to get another big blizzard before Sunday? Are you sure? (grin)

I figured you'd have those big walls of snow, like I said, here we can move it out into open fields but in the city, where do you guys move it to?

Annie

Annie, the forecast is for only a few inches, but no, I can't trust the weatherman, so I'm not sure at all!

Actually, in the downtown area, the snow is being picked up by front-loaders and backhoes and hauled by dump trucks to the harbor. Also, some large parking lots have been designated for dumping piles of snow. But in the suburban neighborhoods, there's no place to put it, except on the sides of the street. Even major roads have only one lane plowed, and where the sidewalks aren't cleared, pedestrians have to share that single lane. When I walked to the supermarket Monday, I had no choice but to walk in the road, and there was no place to duck out of the way when traffic came along. I even had to station myself between cars that were stopped for a red light so I could get out of the way of oncoming traffic in the opposite direction. I'm surprised that there haven't been more pedestrian accidents, but I think most people are making allowances for conditions and being more careful (surely, not more courteous) than usual.

Sue