Snow, Melt, Repeat

When does it end?  This morning there is an article about folks up north who are iced in on Neebish Island and cannot use the ferry to get out.  This morning:

I know there is climate change now and always will be.  To be expected in a world 4 billion years old.  But global warming?  I am beginning to think it only pertains to summers.  I do consider myself lucky as states to the south of me seem to have been hit harder with snow than we have.  But we must be over 50 inches by now.  That's about 30 inches more than I would like.  Hopefully, we should see some warmer weather in a few days.

Spring???

Friday morning.  And more is on the way.  Yuck!

It's Ba-a-a-a-ack

One day I'm cleaning up the yard the next I am knee deep in snow.  Misery loves company so I thought I would share the view from my home this morning.

 Before sunrise

 At sunrise

 A birch branch that couldn't hold on

 My dogwood bent in half

Pretty view

My Winter Snowmageddon

It is snowing outside.  So what else is new?  Last year I think I used my snowblower three times all season.  Usually I just shoveled since there was so little accumulation.  Yesterday, I used it three times.  I took this photo this morning before it started snowing again.

It looks like three snowmen sat down to tea and melted.

I just came online and saw this article about more expected snow for Detroit and Chicago.  I am guessing I got around seven inches yesterday.  A neighbor heard that we have already had 42 inches of snow this season.  That's a lot of snow-blowing. 

I have no need to leave my home today, so I may just wait until tomorrow to clean the drive.  The snow-blower will clear up to ten inches of snow.  If I get that much and wait to do it all at once, I will look like the abominable snowman when I am done.  Ah, winter in the Great Lakes region.  Lucky me.

Wordless Wednesday

And then the Winter Storm in February 2013

Yesterday I posted beautiful fall pictures of leaves.  The colors were glorious.  This year we have lots of green and 70 degrees F today.
One of my readers, Alana at Ramblin' with AM, asked if that was the fall preceding the terrible winter.  Well, it was.  The worst 'fall' was to come when a storm in 'February led to the eventual demise of my gray birch tree.  I have not gone back to see my blog posts from then, but here is the birch:

  From my pics it appears that 2014 was the last bad winter.  Here is February 2014:

What was left of the birch tree got taken down that spring. 
Here's hoping that this winter is as mild as the last.  I can deal with the cold, but not the heavy, wet snow.  Maybe Mother Nature decides what weather we get based on how we behave?  Hey, I've been a good girl.  You didn't rain on my parade all summer, so please don't snow on it this winter.  Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday - It's Back

Fortunately, not so much snow for us.

I Hate Winter

I hate winter.  And this is not the first time I have said it.  I am not a 'snow' person.

I cannot imagine what life would be like if my mother's family had not left International Falls, Minnesota and moved to Cleveland, Ohio and eventually Detroit many, many moons ago.  Just glad I am not part of the family that remained in Fort Frances, Ontario.  I mean, how do folks put up with the cold and snow worse than we have here in lower Michigan?

I have a neighbor who moved down here from Marquette, MI (it's way up in the upper peninsula) several years ago to be closer to children and grandchildren.   We've discussed problems with roofing and windows in bad weather.  I cannot imagine staying and dealing with them.  But here I sit in Michigan watching it snow and hoping not to have ice dams on the roof.

I used to say that I would move to a state with no personal income tax after retirement.  Weather wasn't even the consideration.  But then a grandchild came along.  And unlike some friends I have, I do not relish the idea of traveling across the country every month to see family.  As a matter of fact, one cousin, who moved to warmer climes in retirement, moved back to Michigan to be closer to the two kids still living here (the other two: one is in France, the other in England, with little chance of returning home, which is why she is on her way overseas next week for the holidays).

I try to remember ever enjoying snow and can only think of one outing that was fun.  That same cousin I mentioned used to live on the east side of town.  Back in the early 1960's they were extending the construction of I-94.  She lived near the freeway and it was winter.  The land had been dug out for the freeway and there were the side walls all covered with snow.  Her husband suggested that we grab the kids and the sleds and go sledding.  And we did.  Along with lots of neighbors who had the same idea.  It was great fun.  One snow fun memory for 70 years hardly seems worth putting up with the bad weather.

Back in the 70's when I was working at the hospital, everyone would get ready to go on ski trips.  Not me.  I had fallen on the ice and broken a leg in 1968 so I was not interested in attempting anything that might cause another accident.  Especially since one of my friends had broken her hip on a previous ski trip.  One of the folks I worked with was not joining in the discussions and I asked her why she had opted out of the trip since she was a regular attendee.  She said she hated winter and she hated snow and was wondering why she felt she always needed to join the group skiing and decided she just wasn't going.  Well, it sure made sense to me.

Estimates of today's snowfall are for 6-10 inches.  I must say that Doppler radar is rather daunting at the moment.  I clean my own driveway as I have never had luck with any of the companies that promise to clear snow in a timely manner.  Someone has to be last on the list and it seems it was always me.  I checked the snow blower several weeks ago to make sure it will start, so I am all set to go.  Set, but dreading it.  And yes, I could live in a condo, but condo fees around here are ridiculous and I am rather frugal with my money, so I guess I will just deal with the snow.

And b---- about it.

February 18, 2014

Walking in Winter

This post about winter and falls will be shorter than I anticipated, but I want to just deal with the snow fall we had yesterday, about 4-5 inches in my area.

Here is my drive and the walk I have to my mailbox down at the end of the drive.

Now that the sun is out the snow left on the drive will melt and, hopefully, the cement will dry off. But if it is wet and the snow or water refreezes, I have any icy trek.

I've been known to drive my garbage down to the street for pick-up rather than risk falling on ice. Last night I shoveled a path to the mailbox at 11 PM to get my mail.  Sometimes I have just left it in the box and then driven down the next day.  Did I say I have a fear of falling?

Last year I hired someone to clear the drive, but they did such a poor job that I will just go back to doing it myself.  I replaced my old 2-cycle snowblower with a new 4-cycle snow thrower last year and my drive was done in about 20 minutes.  Since I am holding onto the machine, I don't have too many concerns about falling when I am out there.

I bought new boots this year with more traction on  the soles.  Plus they are waterproof.  A friend of mine invested in cleats that attach to her boots.  As I well know, walking can be dangerous no matter what your age is.

I have to run out this afternoon to pick up the fresh turkey I ordered.  And I also have to bake my chiffon cakes for my Pumpkin Mousse Trifle.

I'll try to blog about dinner and being safe in winter, but who knows how much time I will have to sit at a computer.  Unless of course we all get snowed in.

Just Too, Too Cold

The current temperature is minus five Fahrenheit.  With the wind it feels like minus twenty-one.  Of course, I have to take the word of the weather service since I have not been outside yet today.  And at those temperatures, I many not make it out at all.  A good thing I can read my newspaper online, as my print copy is still down at the end of the drive.

The cold is pretty bad, but at least we are not buried in snow as we were last winter.  The same cannot be said for the East Coast.  Do you wonder how much snow they would have if we were not in the clutches of 'global warming'?

Staying in gives me plenty of time for reading.  While reading my newspaper, I couldn't help but notice that the top-selling non-fiction book is about something called the '20/20 diet', which sounds a lot like the Paleo diet, which just happened to be the worst diet of 2014 according to US News and World Report.   No grains, dairy or legumes.  Yuck.

Incidentally, the number ten bestseller is also a dieting book.  If everyone actually followed all of these diets in books that become best sellers, I cannot imagine how we could still have an obesity problem in this country.

Hot tea, a good book and I am in for the rest of the day.  Pardon the cross-hatch of the screen, but I was not going outside to capture this beautiful blue sky.

What is Wrong with This Picture?

Today is November 21.  The sun is shining.  That's the good news.

What is wrong with the picture is that there is snow on everything.  The temperature is twenty degrees Fahrenheit.  I've cleared my driveway of snow three times already.

I don't think any birds will be drinking in the birdbath.  Now, in order to cover it for the season, I'll have to scrape out the snow and ice.

It is bitterly cold here with a prediction of freezing rain.  Apparently, they are already predicting that they will run out of road salt before the year ends.  I guess we will all become home-bound when that happens.

I never did get around to cleaning up everything in the yard for the year.  Guess it will have to wait until next spring.  Which, at this point, seems like a very long way off.

Forget dreaming about a white Christmas,  It seems almost guaranteed.

Snow, Snow Go Away...but where???

It is 41 degrees outside and the snow is melting.  Unfortunately, there is no place for it to go.  The storm drains are all buried under ice and snow.  There are puddles everywhere, many of them covering gaping potholes.  There is a pond at the end of my driveway.

Yesterday I was out clearing the two inches of snow we had overnight.  When I was done, I grabbed the camera and made good use of the sunny conditions to snap a few photos.

Here is the view of my house from the street:

The pretty white cushions of snow in the front yard sitting area:

And my garden girl with the butterflies  -- looks like she is waving for help, lol

I was in Sam's Club earlier today and they had all their patio sets on display.  I think it will be quite some time before we are sitting outside.

Where Does the Time Go????

Wow!   I can hardly believe so much time has past since I last blogged.  Eleven days.  And I didn't even leave the country.

Well, I have been kinda busy, just not sure what all I was doing.  Shoveling snow is one item.  And more to come this weekend.  Yesterday's paper had a list of the top ten cities in the USA by snowfall.  Four Michigan cities were in the top ten:  Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Flint and Detroit.  All in a large circle around the area I live in.  Sorry, but having over 70 inches of snow in this area has not been fun at all.

There have also been stories about local communities ticketing people who do not shovel their walkways.  Remind me never to buy an home with a sidewalk in front of it.  If any community wants to have pedestrian paths, they had better figure out how to keep them clean.  I have enough trouble keeping my drive and street access clean.  As one woman pointed out, she clears the sidewalk and then the county snow plow throws the snow right back on top of it.  Amen to that scenario.

Of course our roads are in terrible shape with all the potholes.  And I can't imagine how bad it will be when all this snow actually melts.  Maybe by Memorial Day?  That being said, I had a tire damaged hitting one of the potholes and had to take it in for replacement.  While at the tire store they uncovered some other damage and it needed to be taken care of.  I asked was it covered under my extended warranty and they said 'no'.  I had the work done and paid for it.  When I got home I called the warranty provider who said that 'yes', it is covered'.  He explained that some service providers do not want to bother with a call to find out what is covered.  So now I have to send in my paperwork to receive reimbursement.

To make matters worse, when I went to retrieve my car the door handle was broken.  Now they have to order one to replace it.  They guy tried to assure me it wasn't their fault, but I told them it was perfectly fine when I dropped the car off.  Nuff said!

Yesterday was another frustrating day.  For several weeks I have had an irritation on my back.  Just itched like crazy.  I finally decided to see a dermatologist.  It was like she couldn't care less.  Said that 'if I wanted, I could have her freeze it with liquid nitrogen'.  Well, duh!  Since my only other option was to do nothing, what did she think I was there for?

Then I asked her about some spots on my face that had suddenly appeared and were also itching.  She said to buy some acne medication.  At 67 years I now have acne?  Anyway, when I went to my yoga class I saw the woman who does the skin care at the spa and she took me into her office and removed the little spots.  She said they were probably from sweating and the oils getting trapped under the skin.  Spots no more!

And speaking of yoga, my new favorite move is the standing splits.  No, I cannot get my body completely vertical.  But I do find it very invigorating.  I've posted a couple of pictures on my Pinterest yoga board.
One of these days I'm going to schedule a private yoga class and have my instructor take pictures.  I have no idea what I look like in my poses since yoga studios do not use mirrors.

Today I am off to do some shopping.  It is cold but relatively nice outside.  With more snow on the way, I'll need to stock up on books and food for the weekend.

Enjoy your day wherever you are.

The Super Snow Bowl

I knew we were going to be in for some bad weather when I woke up and saw this sky on Thursday morning.  (reminder to self to reset the clock on the camera from German time to USA time; the sun does not rise at 2:30 P.M.)

Nothing good every comes from red and purple skies.  Thursday was just cold.  I was dog-sitting and even he didn't enjoy being outdoors.  (I actually find myself looking for him while I sit here, but he returned home this afternoon.)

The Prelims:
Late Thursday afternoon I went to my son's house to get the mail and got stuck in his driveway.  So, on Friday, I went to his house to clean his driveway, after cleaning my own and going to yoga class.

And then the real snow started.

First Quarter:
Yesterday I watched Doppler radar and when I saw that the snow was soon to be replaced by sleet, I went out with my snowblower to clear the drive.  I was quite wet when I came back indoors.

After the sleet/ice started changing back to snow, I went out to shovel the snow-ice mess before it froze. And then later I went out to clean the snow after it pretty much slowed down.

Score:  Mother Nature 10, Me 0

Second Quarter:

I was up early this morning to clean the drive again.  Then after I had it cleaned, the neighbor's plow company moved all of his snow onto my property.   I cannot understand why this Township does not have an ordinance requiring companies to move snow onto the lawn of the person who had it in their driveway. NOT the neighbor's property.  See my mailbox.  That is not my snow.

So, with my drive done, I went off to my son's to clear the end of his driveway.  The plows that come through here and clean the streets deposit everything at the bottom of the driveways.  Cleaning his front took another hour of time.

Score:  Mother Nature with assist from Plow Trucks 20, Me 0

Third Quarter:

My son lives less than two miles away.  His neighborhood was plowed.  The street coming in from the main road to my sub was plowed, but my street wasn't.  I got stuck.  I finally got out of it, turned around in the next sub and tried another approach.  Home, finally, I called a subdivision association officer and asked why was our street not only covered with snow, but the two entrances were practically barricaded with drifts.  He promised help.

Thirty minutes later the street is cleared, but now the end of my driveway is covered in packed snow and ice.  No way is my front-wheel drive car going to get through that mess.  Grab the shovel and start cleaning.  It is now 10 A.M. and I have been moving snow for the better part of the three hours I have been awake and outside.

Score:  Mother Nature and plow trucks 30, Me minus 10 and falling fast.

Fourth Quarter:

Just as I finish the end of my drive, I see an elderly neighbor trying to clean the end of his.  I grab my shovel and go down there and start shoveling.  His mess is worse than mine.  Finally done I come home and take the dog for a short walk.  He likes the snow and doesn't want to come back inside.  I am frozen.  We have a tug of war.  I win.  At least in the 'doggy bowl'.  (In truth, I had to pick him up and carry him in.)

Remembering that I am out of gas for the snowblower, I drive to the nearest station.  Upon arriving home, another neighbor approaches to complain about the plow services burying his yard in snow while his neighbor's is virtually free of accumulation.  Do they pay extra to have it deposited in someone else's yard? Seems I am now enjoying the instant replay function as this sounds vaguely familiar.

I am beat.  I've pushed the snowblower, shoveled, chopped, spread salt.  I am sure I set some kind of yardage record for distance covered.  And you should have seen me throwing those shovelfuls of snow.  WOW.  What an arm.

All I know is that whatever the final score is, I lost this 'snow bowl' game.

I can enjoy this view from my garage before the next storm hits on Wednesday.  Or is it Tuesday?

There's No Men Like Snowmen

The weather-folks are predicting that we will get 3-6 inches of snow by tomorrow night.  They seem to get their predictions right less than half the time so right now I am not too concerned.  I have plenty of snow folks around the house already.  Lots of snow men and one snow lady.

These guys are ready for whatever happens.  This was a gift from some former staff members.

More gifts.

This guy too!

 

And her too!

 Can you tell I like snowmen?

 

I have a pair of these cuties.  

 

And then we have the guys who aren't 'stuffed', just molded into shape.

 

 

 

Let it Snow.

Dreamin' of Cooler Weather

It's not the heat, it's the humidity.  Except when it is both.  Too much dampness and too many mosquitoes, too.  So, I am dreamin' about those winter days I complained about just a few short months ago.

 

Hallmark is showing off their new Christmas Ornaments in another week.  They must be dreamin' about cooler weather too.

Snow and Migraines, Again

I couldn't help but notice that my post from one-year ago on sun, snow and migraine headaches has jumped into my top ten reads.  It was written on February 12, 2012 and on Friday, February 22, 2013 I was dealing with the same issue.  Again.

I went out early to get the newspaper from the box at the street.  It was snowing pretty hard at the time.  Within about 20 minutes of coming inside, I had a splitting headache.  I had to cancel my yoga class and then I sat here in the dark for the day.  Even the light from the computer screen hurt my head.

It kept snowing outside and I kept the blinds closed.  I heard the mailman go down the street in the afternoon, but decided I would wait until dark to get my mail.

Imagine my surprise when I did venture out to find that my driveway had been cleaned of snow.  And no, I did not hear the snow blower.  Good insulation, I guess.

I called the most likely suspect, my next door neighbor Ahmad, and asked if he was the kind person.  He said he thought I must be out of town because my house was all closed up.  I explained about the migraine and he said he had a sinus headache.  Good old Michigan weather.

For the first time in a long time I have the urge to just jump on a plane and go someplace else.  But Spring break is coming and I don't want to have to deal with college students or families with young children.  Worst vacation ever:  the Bahamas between Christmas and New Years.  Never again. 

And I can never forget returning to Detroit from Arizona once and finding my car absolutely buried in snow in the parking lot at the airport.  And the battery was dead.  Puts a real damper on a post-trip high.

Even though it is cloudy today, it is still pretty bright outside.  Luckily, I have no place I need to be.  I can just curl up with a book or my Sunday NYT crossword.  And if I keep the bright light out, I do not have to worry about another headache. 

Now, where are my sunglasses?

Something White that isn't Snow

The County salt trucks just went down my street.  With the warmer weather and rain expected tomorrow, the snow just might disappear.   For now.

For those who are tired of looking at snow, here is something white that is much nicer to look at.  My azalea plant is blooming indoors and is prettier that when it was outside this past spring.  Along with the white blooming orchids, it is a lovely day to sit in the living room and read a book.

This orchid plant has been blooming since September. 

It's Snow Time

Well, we already have more snow this season than we had all of last winter.  The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside.

 

Pillows of snow.  Tea Anyone?

 

 

A place for the birds

 

 

In hiding

 

 

Ready for sledding

When all else fails....

People are usually surprised when I tell them that I cut my own lawn and clean the snow off my driveway.  Some folks think they are just too 'upscale' to do their own chores, sometimes including cooking.

(There is actually a subdivision near me where the sub rules do not allow them to cut their own grass, unless it has been changed over the years.  And I remember the local dry cleaner telling me years ago when I moved here that if they did underwear, people would bring it in to be done.)

While I have never had lawn service (they scalp the lawn and cut unnecessarily in dry spells), I have used snow services over the years.  Each experience was unpleasant.  One year I found dents in my garage door, which they claimed was not from their truck.  Another service went on 'spring break' the week of a big snowstorm and no one was around to plow.  Another time they did not show up to clean my drive until eight o'clock at night for a snowfall that was there at six in the morning.  And the kicker to getting rid of each of these different companies was the one who wanted to bill me for a year of heavy snow plowing after a prior year of not but a few cleanings.  So, I should pay you regular wages for not working and then pay you extra when you do.  Not.  It's not like buying insurance.

So, I bought my own snow blower to replace an older model in the garage.  Last year I decided to take it in for routine service.  And then it never snowed enough to be used. 

When I took it in, I told them that the electric start was not working, but not to bother fixing it, I would just use the pull start, which is what I had done for the past two years.  I started it up this fall and it worked fine.

This morning I went out to start the blower and - nothing.  Not even a whimper.  With over six inches of snow up near the house, I knew there was no way I would ever clean the drive by hand.

I primed, I waited, I tried to start.  Nothing.  Then I figured, WTH, let me try the electric start.  I figured it was a dumb idea because it didn't work for more than two years, why would it work now?

And, Voila!  It started.  I can only believe that some mechanic ignored the comment not to fix it.  Then again, the pull start isn't working, though I might go out and try it now that it has warmed up.

But first, some hot cocoa and cookies.

When all else fails, try what you believe is the least likely solution.  It might just work.