Nor'easter on it's way!

It's that time of year, especially for New England. A nor'easter is working it's way up the seaboard. We are forecasted to get 7 - 12 inches, but could be locally higher. They are saying it could be near blizzard conditions on the Mass coast and RI. Wow...
Usually, though, we don't get these kinds of storms until after Christmas. But the last couple of winters have proven otherwise. Seems last year we had snow at Thanksgiving, and it never did go away. We are also having quite cold temps here. Down in the teens at night, and 20 - 30's daily. We cycle up and down, week to week, it seems in temps. Having lived in other parts of New England, it's always interesting to see the different influences from the Canadian artic air and the warmer coastal breezes. Usually the coast influences our area here in CT, but we do get a the occasional blast from the north.
My parents, OTH, get much colder temps in the winter than we do. It's been 0 F up there already, and of course, will get much colder at night as the winter wears on. Even further north, up in Aroostook County, Maine, you can expect more frigid temps, getting as low as -30F. I do remember one winter we had a low of -35 to -40, and no vehicles would start. Even plugged in. Fortunately, my hubby lived near work, and walked up the hill to the shop. But even then, a 15 or 20 minute walk in sub zero temps can be dangerous if you aren't adequately protected.
With a tank full of oil, a bucket of water for the flush, misc. containers of drinking water, some fire logs and maple logs on hand, we are ok for a day or so if things should get bad. Fireplaces are not very efficient, but it will do in a pinch. We'd love a wood stove, but since we are renting, we have no choice in that. We can only hope that the power doesn't go off. If it does, the worst I have seen is about 7 hours here. Usually 3 - 5. If I know a storm is coming, I've learned to jack up the heat a bit just in case, as then it will take longer for the house to cool off. Saving on heat during a storm isn't a very good idea, I've learned.
We insulated the house more this winter, putting plastic over a number of windows and doors. For a house built in the mid 80's, it's very drafty! It was built by a construction company that literally threw up a number of houses at a time, and with no one on site to really monitor things, I would say that the insulation around the doors and windows is very minimal. Plus, never mind the fact that after 20 years, one should be looking at replacing doors and windows for something much more efficient. Oh well, we've weatherstripped and plasticized the best we can for a rental.
Well, this will be short. We are going to a local Christmas concert this afternoon held at the middle school. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a warm and cozy weekend!