Snow

[rowyn]

Last weekend, to much fanfare, Emerarld City was promised several inches of snow, perhaps as much as 12-16 inches from Saturday through Monday. When I went tot he grocery store Saturday morning, it was overrun with people stocking up in case of a blizzard.

In fact, we got a bit of freezing rain Sunday, and less than an inch of snow, sometime Monday.

Today, to no fanfare at all, we've gotten about six inches. I guess bad weather likes to take people by surprise.

Toddler Bank closed at 2PM. My house is near a major highway, and many of coworkers take that highway to get to their homes, so I got a ride with one of them. The streets right around my house aren't plowed, however, and I wouldn't ask anyone to volunteer to go down them. So she dropped me off at the intersection before the highway. I'd forgotten my snowboots this morning, and she insisted that I take hers, making the remaining two blocks to my house quite painless.

About 4:30, the snow had about stopped, and I went out to shovel the driveway. verminusrex, if you lived a bit closer, I might split the cost of that snowblower with you. :) Phew. We never shoveled the driveway after the freezing rain/snow from the weekend, and I was afraid there'd be a layer of solid ice under the new snow, but it's not that bad. I didn't get it perfectly clear, but I don't think Lut will have much trouble getting in. As a bonus, I even shoveled a path to the house. I tried to shovel the sidewalk, but I don't think I found it. By then, I'd been out nearly an hour and was, really, rather tired of it. I still am, in fact. I didn't get the layer of ice over the stairs cleared off, so they remain a hazard, but other than that it's not too bad. Hopefully, we won't get anymore snow tonight.

I've been working fairly diligently on creative-type things, so far, this month. Three installments of Silver Scales, two hours of work on Prophecy, and a little bit of sketching. But despite this, I feel an odd malaise, as if I haven't done enough; as if I ought to be doing more. I'll have to work on something tonight. I'm not sure what, yet. Maybe more fiction, or maybe I'll write down some possible ideas for my next RP project.

Comments

[ltwarhound.livejournal.com]

Its been several years since the last time it snowed enough to make it worth using a snowblower, let alone buying one. Of course, this is the first year we've had to worry about us clearing the driveway, walkway, etc.

I think the heat from the garage (generated by sun, the car cooling after use) helps with the ice on the driveway, given a few days to work. That and the driveway not being flat or level.

Now we just have to come up with a way to efficiently clear the ice off the steps. That's annoying, both trying to clear and walking on.

How one defines the problem can make a big difference to solving it

[telnar.livejournal.com]

I think of the problem as being how to avoid slipping on the steps rather than how to clear the ice. Those two definitions could lead to the same result, but they also might not.

For example, possible solutions to the problem might include building an awning over the steps, getting a large mat for the steps which is easier to clean than concrete, or even wearing boots with better traction.

Re: How one defines the problem can make a big difference to solving it

[rowyn]

I'd actually been thinking about these options while I was out shoveling Thursday. I might try a mat; an awning is likely to (a) not work (snow & rain will blow under it, as it blows under the awning of our porch) and/or (b) be a lot of troulbe and/or (c) be really ugly. I am betting I could manage something that was only one of those three, but not avoid all of them. ;)

Re: How one defines the problem can make a big difference to solving it

[ltwarhound.livejournal.com]

As Rowyn noted, the awning would need to enclose the steps and the porch to prevent windblown accumulation. Best option, but fuggly, and not a short term process. The winters in Emerald City have been mild for the last 15 years, this year has the most snow I've seen in a while.

The mat currently on the porch turns into a flat stiff ice encrusted board, and won't shake or smack clean. Maybe a different type of material, something more plastic and less cloth.

The steps are shallow and short, unless the ice is kept clear, the narrow footing would make it likely that anything short of ice-cleats would just slide off.

Will have to look into a different material. But, as an immediate solution, a few whacks with a metal rod and/or large amounts of hot water seems to do the trick. Just have to repeat daily.