Good Luck, Texas! (Or, What To Do About The Snow)

We see you're getting 1-3" of snow! So, here's some advice from a seasoned pro (NYC 96; Chicago '99; CT '11):

• Don't go out driving if you don't really have to--stock up on beer today! And sweetened condensed milk, if you want snow ice cream (just don't forget to put the big bowl out the night before).
• But do go outside, dressed appropriately. That whole thing about heat escapes from your head is a bad misunderstanding of science. Heat escapes from whatever you leave exposed and in that study they left heads exposed. They've studied feet since then, I believe, with heads covered, and the exact same amount of heat goes out your feet. Except people aren't as likely to forget their shoes in the snow as their hats! Wear both.
• I doubt you'll need a snow shovel. If the snow is fluffy enough, you can literally sweep it away. Just don't try to shovel snow with a garden shovel; you'll ruin your back.
• As for ice melt, don't bother--you don't want that stuff in your water supply. We have sand (or kitty litter) for traction, but almost never have to use it. Rock salt works but is best if it's sunny.
• Keep an eye out for icicles and knock them down with a broom handle as they form because they can pull off your gutters.
• Make sure you have wiper fluid (oh, and gas!) in your car; you'll use a lot to defrost it. Got a scraper? Some people put sheets on their cars--you can, as long as it's completely dry before you do so. Otherwise, you have a big frozen fabric mess. And we're not in the "pull the wipers away from the window" camp because we think heavy snow will just break them off. Better yet, just park your cars in the garage (a luxury we don't have up here).
• As for pipes: we have an internal shut off for outside pipes, something you might not have. Inside pipes have never really been a problem except one year with temps at zero for days when the kitchen wall pipes would freeze overnight. So, now on really cold nights, we just set our dishwasher to run in the middle of the night. No more problem. Oddly, I never hear pipe recommendations up here (a la the ones you might hear to leave the water dripping all the time) so maybe basements keep that from being as bad?? But really, that has nothing to do with snow.
• Enjoy! It's always prettiest as it falls and is fresh. And it gets gross really quickly.