Snow Blows And Juice Reserve Lows~

"When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels". Unknown~

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Yep, these make me feel safe…. Just in case~

The east coast is prepping for a snow storm - People are rushing around trying to fill their cars up with gas and  making a mad dash to the grocery stores to buy enough food and toilet paper so they can get the hell home and honker down. 
And I’m right there with them. Yep, snow is pretty in doable amounts, but in massive doses and sans mountainous regions, snow totally blows.

I already knew I had enough back up insulin/pump supplies and test strips - but I double checked last night just to make sure.  

This morning I filled up my gas tank on the way to work. On my way home ( early out due to the weather), I stopped at the grocery store - Which wasn’t as crowded as I thought because everyone else had gone last night. 

I hadn't gone food shopping since before I left for California and loaded up on Almond milk, eggs, bread, Italian flatbread loaded with veggies and cheese, 2 whole grain blueberry muffins, oranges, chips and all the makings for my faux cream of broccoli soup. 

But here’s where a grocery list would have really come in handy. 

When I got home and unloaded my groceries, I realized that I only had about 25 ounces of cranberry juice in the fridge and no back up - And I wasn’t comfortable with that, not one bit. 

Now I don’t down juice like water, but I do add a dash of cranberry to my seltzer water, and occasion, to my seltzer water and red blood orange vodka martinis, but I digress. 

Bottom line: I feel safe having juice on hand for low blood sugars and always stock up. 

 I was mad at myself - I always have backup juice in my pantry, ALWAYS. Except for today. 

The snow had started to fall and stick, it was getting slippery out & the wind had picked up and sounded fierce.

I put my coat back on, braved the elements and walked to the deli down the street & bought myself three 16 ounce bottles of Nantucket Nectar Cranberry juice - JUST IN CASE. 

And on my way home I started thinking: What if I didn’t live near a deli? What if I couldn’t go out and get back up juice? What would I do then? 

When I got back home I took off my coat, put the Nantucket in the fridge and checked out the rest of my pantry supplies. 

I saw lots of dry goods. Cans of beans- black and cannelloni, tomatoes - crushed, whole peeled and paste. Tuna, vegetable broth, brown rice, a couple boxes of low carb pasta and a jar of Italian roasted peppers I'd totally forgotten about but was very happy to find. 
All great for meals - but not fab to quick treat lows. 

The next shelf had 2 bottles (more like 1.5 bottles because one was half empty) of glucose tabs - YAY! But on the flip side, the unopened bottle was a store brand and in a flavor I wasn't fan of, hence the reason I've never actually opened it, Still, I was happy to have it. 
There was also a jar of applesauce; honey, peanut butter, a bottle of Canadian maple syrup, an opened box of Trader Joe’s Mini Gingerbread Men cookies & a box of steel cooked oats. 

The next shelf had a bag of Starbucks dark roast, fully loaded Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate (15 grams of carbs per packet) tea, lots of tea - both caffeinated and fruity herb, lots of spices & a box of sugar.

OK, I  thought, I can make all of the above work to treat lows if I had to.  

I could make a cup of Swiss Miss hot chocolatey deliciousness or I could make fruity herb tea and dump copious amounts of sugar or honey and throw it back like a juice-box sans the straw.  

Speaking of honey, I could do honey straight from a spoon if I had to - same goes for the maple syrup. I’m already a fan of peanut butter and honey on a spoon, not to mention applesauce. 

The glucose tabs were a no brainer, so were the gingerbread men. 

Yep, I was covered. 

Still.... I’m glad I went out and bought the extra bottles of cranberry juice - Having those bottles of juice in the house made me feel safer. 

As a PWD (person with diabetes) who lives alone - It’s up to me to take care of myself, regardless of my diabetes, crazy weather or forgotten grocery items. 

So am I the only one who gets OCD when it comes to having food and food for treating lows - And back-ups of both, especially when there's a storm coming? 

And what’s your low blood sugar back-up in case your run out of your low blood sugar go-to’s?