For me, the first snowfall is always a delight, the second, merely interesting. The third is inconvenient and the fourth...downright annoying. Of course, the dogs are equally excited by all of them, which mitigates my personal feelings somewhat. I think a flamethrower sounds like a great idea, except that I would almost inevitably singe off my own eyebrows (heck, I do that with the propane grill) and then the wife would make fun.
So I "salt" before the storm (if it's only going to be an inch or two), and then shovel like a person who is determined to both clear the driveway and not have a heart while attack doing so, if it is more than that.
Oh for the days when kids used to go around the neighborhood and offer to shovel your walks for a quarter. What? Did I ever see one of those kids? Well um, no, but I know a guy who knows a guy who once heard that this actually happened.
Le Sigh ? Channeling annoying (but kinda cute) little French skunks? There've been a LOT of run-over skunks here in the Paso Robles area (where it was 72 Deg F today).... One more day of watching elephant seals (good God but the pups make an appalling noise) and sampling obscure wines and it's back to snow, ice and sub-freezing temps. Le sigh.
Hi Tam, just a few miles north of you we here just cleared 2' of snow from our driveway.... for the 3rd time in a month. It does get boring but this is the price we pay for living in the lake effect belt. The upside is we don't swelter for months on end in summer (just weeks). Look into one of the small Toro gas powered single stages, my wife likes it though for these last few we needed the big machine due to the wind drifts.
The only prize we get for living here is depression and frostbite.
I don't shovel my driveway either, I pay someone to plow it, I think having to shovel it all winter by hand would be torture and it's only the size of two cars.
A help for those that have to shovel, get a 5' handle and install it on your snow shovel. It reduces the amount of bending over required for shoveling. Saves wear and tear on the back.
A situation where having a teenager in the house finally starts having some return on investment.
She doesn't want to learn to work the choke on the snow blower and shovels instead, but that's her choice. The snow blower will be there when she goes to college in a couple of years.
Hey, I used to do that neighborhood shoveling for pay!
Lot of competition in the baby boomer childhood days, suburbs of Philly. The only market was old people, basically. My town required sidewalks to be cleared. Biggest problem was the berm across the driveway entrance from the city plows. That cost extra.
Graduated to driving my dad's Jeep wagon with plow, at age 15. Cops didn't care about drivers age, if you were driving a plow.
If you translate the Latin on the State Flag of Michigan, it actually reads "Dammit, I just shoveled that." We tell our kids that drek about pleasant penninsulae in order to avoid having to swear in front of the tykes.
I'm gonna hafta remember this post for next summer when I'm whining about the heat/humidity here.
ReplyDeleteThere has to be a downside in order for there to be an upside to experience.
I gave the guy on my block with the REALLY BIG snowblower a 5-gallon can of gasoline. It's a great trade.
ReplyDeleteI make around $25 an hour, give-or-take. So that can cost me a bit less than an hour of my life.
It takes me about 20 minutes to properly shovel my walk. I live on a corner lot.
After the 3rd good snow it's pure profit.
I can either spend that hour sitting on my butt in an office drafting or outside toiling like a Hebrew slave.
Pissonit - I'm going skiing.
gvi
Just wait a month or two and it'll take care of itself!
ReplyDelete@Will-
ReplyDelete"How can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?"
John Steinbeck
If ever a landscape needed a snowman
ReplyDeleteWeird weather. It's 52 and sunshine in the Northern Rockies. Wasn't a whole lot colder when most of the country was getting blasted by cold.
ReplyDeleteMal
Newton's Third Law of Motion.
ReplyDeleteNot just for the little people anymore.
Suggestion: Buy a snow mower next June.
ReplyDeleteA small one with recycled automobile tire blades is fairly cheap, especially in mid summer.
Why use a snow mower when you can use a flame thrower?
ReplyDeletePlus, it will give the neighbors (something else) to talk about.
And, of course, I'm watching 7s rugby in Las Vegas, where it's in the lower to mid 60s, just to reaaally feel the cold. :-)
ReplyDeleteI approve of using an M9 flamethrower to get rid of snow ... but most landlords and municipalities disapprove of their use.
ReplyDeleteOh look a dusting of snow, how quaint.
ReplyDeleteStan,
ReplyDelete"Oh look a dusting of snow, how quaint."
Oh, you win.
'Course, I don't have to shovel your walks, so I don't care. You'll have to make your own prize. :)
Long time reader, first time commenter.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the first snowfall is always a delight, the second, merely interesting. The third is inconvenient and the fourth...downright annoying. Of course, the dogs are equally excited by all of them, which mitigates my personal feelings somewhat. I think a flamethrower sounds like a great idea, except that I would almost inevitably singe off my own eyebrows (heck, I do that with the propane grill) and then the wife would make fun.
So I "salt" before the storm (if it's only going to be an inch or two), and then shovel like a person who is determined to both clear the driveway and not have a heart while attack doing so, if it is more than that.
Oh for the days when kids used to go around the neighborhood and offer to shovel your walks for a quarter. What? Did I ever see one of those kids? Well um, no, but I know a guy who knows a guy who once heard that this actually happened.
Le Sigh ?
ReplyDeleteChanneling annoying (but kinda cute) little French skunks? There've been a LOT of run-over skunks here in the Paso Robles area (where it was 72 Deg F today).... One more day of watching elephant seals (good God but the pups make an appalling noise) and sampling obscure wines and it's back to snow, ice and sub-freezing temps. Le sigh.
Hi Tam, just a few miles north of you we here just cleared 2' of snow from our driveway.... for the 3rd time in a month. It does get boring but this is the price we pay for living in the lake effect belt. The upside is we don't swelter for months on end in summer (just weeks). Look into one of the small Toro gas powered single stages, my wife likes it though for these last few we needed the big machine due to the wind drifts.
ReplyDeleteThe only prize we get for living here is depression and frostbite.
ReplyDeleteI don't shovel my driveway either, I pay someone to plow it, I think having to shovel it all winter by hand would be torture and it's only the size of two cars.
A help for those that have to shovel, get a 5' handle and install it on your snow shovel. It reduces the amount of bending over required for shoveling. Saves wear and tear on the back.
ReplyDeleteThis situation is where I realized that my parents had been driven insane by their rearing of me.
ReplyDeleteFather and Grandfather had been maintaining that of you do a job right the first time, you didn't have to do it again...
Either they were wrong or I'd been shoveling incorrectly...
A situation where having a teenager in the house finally starts having some return on investment.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't want to learn to work the choke on the snow blower and shovels instead, but that's her choice. The snow blower will be there when she goes to college in a couple of years.
Hey, I used to do that neighborhood shoveling for pay!
ReplyDeleteLot of competition in the baby boomer childhood days, suburbs of Philly. The only market was old people, basically. My town required sidewalks to be cleared. Biggest problem was the berm across the driveway entrance from the city plows. That cost extra.
Graduated to driving my dad's Jeep wagon with plow, at age 15. Cops didn't care about drivers age, if you were driving a plow.
If you translate the Latin on the State Flag of Michigan, it actually reads "Dammit, I just shoveled that." We tell our kids that drek about pleasant penninsulae in order to avoid having to swear in front of the tykes.
ReplyDelete