How the hell

When I lived in our previous house and worked out of an office at the airport, my driveway was about 60 feet long and since I kept my camper in front of the gara -er- workshop, all my snow had to come to the front lawn. I often threatened to have the maintenance crew come and blow my snow pile over the house into the back yard. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Last storm we had, I pushed the storm door open and Lacey (Bichon Frise) stepped out and made her puddle on the back step. Now she won't go out unless I go with her when there is snow on the step. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

SWMBO thinks I do this because I just like playing in the snow!

Of

Gerry :-)} London, Canada

I did go get my big plastic shovel out of the shed. It has a short handle with a t grip on there. It also has a very wide shovel portion. It is very disproportionate, and I'm sure it was a spendy special shovel. I found it on the side of the road. I have seen people at ski resorts take these and ride them down to the bottom of the lift to get back after their shift. They point the handle downhill and sit in the shovel, steering with their feet. Looks fun, and they fly. Anyway, I shoveled about ten feet enough for the dogs to get out the back door and get to the yard.

I don't do shoveling very much anymore. Health stuff.

Steve

Used to think that way. Between me and the wife, we got over 100 years total in Vegas. But I don't take the heat very well now with the cardio stuff. It gets hot enough here, so we try to get up to the cabin in summer. I'll take cold any day. You can dress for it. When it's hot, after you take off all your clothes, you are still uncomfortable.

Steve

Go south, old man!

I brought my snow shovel with me when I moved to Florida. I finally got rid of it because I was tired of trying to explain how it worked to rednecks who had never seen snow.

And everyone around you, too. ;-)

I was very heat intolerant for several years. I would sweat like crazy in a 65 degree room. It turns out that the idiot doctors had me on so low of a sodium level in my diet that it was causing it. Now, I can take 80 degrees without getting dizzy.

You get used to it.

On the other hand, I know when there is snow on the ground I will not have to cut my grass, so maybe the net chore time isn't much different than in summertime.

Would like to do the seasonal thing, but am waiting for my ship to dock. (settlement) My wife and I have 100 years + in Vegas, but now we do not like the heat. AT ALL. We still have to go there, and when it's hot I'd take a beating rather than go there. But then, it's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

Steve

Today is a very moderate -17*C (about 0*F), last couple of days at-25*C and colder, not too much snow though at those temps. We live in a 4-plex and our apartment's about 1000 sqft, heat and everything is all-electric and our _year-round_ power bill is $87 a month CANADIAN. Mind you this place was built to R2000 standards about 15 - 20 years ago. So tight we have an air exchanger for each apt. Looking forward in the long-range forecast to -30*C +something in the New Year - brisk. ___ It is required to use your intelligence when the wind blows. ___ As the man says you can easily dress up for cold, hard to dress down enough for our summer highs, which last year hit about 35*C = about 95*F. 'Course we can always jump in a lake, which here in North Central BC are mostly glacial (in temperature anyway) :-)

Mike in the geographic centre of BC

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:46:03 -0600, the infamous "Martin H. Eastburn" scrawled the following:

I just drove back over the mountains from CA to OR and had to put up with a couple hours of delays while they scraped & sanded the roads.

F that S. You guys in frigid climes can -keep- your cold weather, ice, and snow, thank you very much. We average 3" of snow on the GP valley floor in winter. That's about 3" too much for me.

-- It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed. -- Kin Hubbard

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:21:33 -0600, the infamous Ignoramus26897 scrawled the following:

Here ya go, Ig:

I have it from a lady who used to live in Wyoming that this is the piece de resistance of shovels in -40F.

-- It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed. -- Kin Hubbard

Its real easy. I live in Southern Arizona.

We are tough enough to take it.

Roger that! We don't do the seasonal thing either. I don't mind heat but my wife, a MN girl, doesn't like heat at all, not a bit.

I don't, I moved from Michigan to Florida! Mike

Last time I was there for the month of February I got lucky, a tornado touched down in Intercession City, skipped over my location and destroyed the park just east of Campbell City. Thanks but I'll stay here in the "Frozen North" and go out to play with my blower as required to give puppy a place to go puddle. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

I just received this in an email. Mike

The Diary of a Snow Shoveler

December 8

6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9

We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life. December 12

The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14

Snow lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life!

The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way.

December 15 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer.

The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like heck. The wife laughed for one hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. Man, I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20

Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the darn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Darn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying. December 22

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to poop. By the time I got undressed, pooped and dressed again, I was too pooped to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the jerk is lying.

December 23 Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What? Is she nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24

6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the man who drives that snowplow I'll drag him through the snow by his nose and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the snowplow.

December 25

Merry Christmas! 20 more inches of the slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26

Still snowed in. Why the heck did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves. December 27

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze, plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28

Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. THE WITCH is driving me crazy!!!

December 29

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. I think he's lying. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30

Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver. He is now suing me for a million dollars not only the beating I gave him but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up where the sun don't shine. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31

I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8

Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?