Weather forecast is 4 feet of snow between tonight and Sunday morning for Buffalo. Areas around Buffalo are already getting hit. The NY Thruway (Interstate 90) is closed from Buffalo to the PA border due to slippery conditions and low visibility. Reports of tractor trailers jack-knifed on I90.

I am near Buffalo. We've had heavy snow in my area since early this morning, but in the long run, are not expected to get as much as Buffalo will. I am farther inland than Buffalo, so not as badly affected by lake effect snowfalls.

UPDATED EDIT: The 4 feet are expected farther north in NY. Buffalo area has a 3 foot forecast. Interstate 90 closing is extended from Rochester (east of Buffalo) westward to Buffalo and southwest west to the PA border. Highways and expressways inside of Buffalo are closed to commercial traffic. The Skyway Bridge in Buffalo is closed.

Buffalo and suburban schools are closed tomorrow.

Every year, when the snow starts, Ember the cat wages a valiant battle against all flakes that dare to touch or come close to the living room window, her favorite perch for looking outdoors.

Is it the feline instinct to chase anything that moves? Or is it hostility toward those white swirls that block her clear view of the outside world? Maybe it's both. Whatever the reason, she races from one end of the windowsill to the other, paws swatting frantically at every passing flake.

After a few weeks, she no longer rises to the challenge. She gets accustomed to (or resigned to) the fact that snow is here to stay for a few months. But until then, she is addicted to the battle, ignoring my attempts to distract her.

So the huge Powerball payout has been won. I very rarely buy any lottery tickets and did not buy one for this drawing, either.

But sometimes I wonder what I would ever do with so much money. What would you do with a billion dollars in winnings?

I would enjoy traveling. At my age (73) my personal needs are small. I'd move out of my apartment and back into a house, knowing that I could afford the upkeep and to hire people for things I can't do myself. It would be a small, one story house, though, with priorities on space for a library/office and a fully equipped kitchen. Location in a blue region of a blue state, suburban or semi rural, with space to add a dog (probably a border collie, maybe a golden retriever) as companion for my cat and me.

I'd get a new car, but have no need for, or interest in, an expensive one.

The rest of the money would go into donations, trusts, and foundations for favorite causes: legal and counseling aid for victims/survivors of domestic violence; recruiting and promoting diverse liberals for public service as candidates and government appointees; funding for projects developed and operated by and for Native American communities, e.g. education, health care, preservation of language and land.

What would you do if you won a lottery of a billion dollars or more?

Power shortages are common in Ukraine now due to Russian attacks on civilian targets. Ukraine rations its electrical power in order to keep hospitals and other essential services operating.

Ukrainian winters are brutally cold.

Is it feasible that we could provide Ukrainian people with heat and light through a massive fundraising and purchase of battery powered lanterns and blankets, with a huge supply of batteries? Some battery operated blankets, sleeping bags, and camping heaters are rechargeable. People could recharge then during periods when rationed power is available to them.

It would mean purchasing several thousand of these items and shipping them to Ukraine.

Could this be done?

Local stations have carried an announcement from the County Board of Elections that a group calling itself County Voter Integrity has been going door to door questioning people about their past voting history and location.

The people using this group name had one person's voting registration from a previous address plus current registration and asked if they were the same person. The individual being questioned asked if the group was from the county government or Bd of Elections and when the canvasser said no, he was asked to leave.

So the Board of Elections has been making public announcements that the "Voter Integrity" group does not represent them and people do not have to answer these questions. If people feel any intimidation is being used by these questioners, they should call the county sheriff's office.

of Fetterman in last night's debate, saying that Democrats are reassessing their ability to win in PA due to Fetterman's "obvious" difficulty in speaking. They sounded so upbeat in reporting on this that I half expected to hear the report end with "Yay Oz."

What are other media saying?

Did some shopping today and noticed something on a package of beef that I have not seen before. Maybe it's been there and I just never noticed.

The package had a warning that said, "Do not microwave while in original packaging."

Really? People need to be warned about that? I am guessing that the warning is there because someone has done it before.

Oh my.

https://cheezburger.com/2246405/36-perfectly-timed-photos-of-cats-caught-in-midair