Storm supplies are a Good Thing to have, especially if you're out in the boonies and may be stuck for a few days.

As far as filling the tub, depending on where you are in the state you may be surrounded by water several inches deep, just not in liquid form. Guess what, you also have refrigeration if the power craps out for a while.

Since you have a backup heat source you don't have to worry *as much* about leaving a faucet trickling. In a pinch, your heating oil goes by another name: diesel (my stepfather in Vermont regularly has to run the furnace on diesel because the oil truck driver won't go down an ice-sheeted driveway).

Speaking of ice, you've been warned about black ice, right?

Luckily your first winter here is a mild one so far. This weekend will just give you a taste of what it's like when the temps don't climb out of the single digits for over a week.