Ask me how I spent my afternoon . . . ?

[copperkid3]

Glad you asked. Sit back and enjoy yourselves from the comfort of your easy chair,

while I spin the tale of woes that was my lot today. The rest of the country

may not have heard (or felt) the effects of that snowstorm that came through

the mid-west yesterday and last night, but we got hammered. I used a wide

blade aluminum grain shovel to open up paths to the outdoor wood-fired boiler,

the wood pile, the shop & finally down to the barn. The pathway on all of them,

was only the width of the shovel's blade. The local paper 'claims' that our area

had reports of 16.5" of the white stuff, (we were ONLY supposed to get a a measly foot)

but apparently they haven't been out to my place yet. The tape measure was consistently

reading 21-22.5" as I dug my way along. Decided around 3:30pm to dig a pathway out

to the road & check to see if the mail had made it thru today. It's approximately 280 feet

from the rear door, down the driveway and to the road. Temperature was dropping

from 8° above zero and when I finished almost 2 hrs later, it was -05° below!

Imagine my surprise (and dismay), to discover that my large country mailbox,

was missing from it's perch! Apparently one of the passing snowplows must

have hit it with such force from the snow being thrown out to the side, that it

tore it loose from its' moorings. Managed to retrieve it and bring it back to a

more secure area, but it will be awhile before it can be placed back where it belongs.

Managed to get back inside and decided to check out the exposed area of my face in the mirror.

The guy looking back at me, was grizzled from 3+ days of not shaving and there

were 2"+ icicles hanging from my mustache! No frostbite yet . . . but the night is

still young. Now that I've partially warmed myself, I'd best go close up the barn

and stack a few more logs in the boiler. Take care out there.

[gimpy]

count your toes

[bowdonkey]

You must live in the banana belt. Was -30 here this morning, about half that by afternoon. But no snow to shovel! Our driveway is a mere 150'.

[copperkid3]

Originally Posted by gimpy

count your toes

+ + +

I have TOES???

How many are you allowed?

[Sawmill Jim]

Sorry for your luck We got a snow storm to somewhere near 1\16 of a inch. But if it were to get butt deep to a tall Indian in a Sycamore tree i ain't shoveling no snow

[kasilofhome]

35......Kenai..................................... ...............

[Shrek]

Originally Posted by copperkid3

Glad you asked. Sit back and enjoy yourselves from the comfort of your easy chair,

while I spin the tale of woes that was my lot today. The rest of the country

may not have heard (or felt) the effects of that snowstorm that came through

the mid-west yesterday and last night, but we got hammered. I used a wide

blade aluminum grain shovel to open up paths to the outdoor wood-fired boiler,

the wood pile, the shop & finally down to the barn. The pathway on all of them,

was only the width of the shovel's blade. The local paper 'claims' that our area

had reports of 16.5" of the white stuff, (we were ONLY supposed to get a a measly foot)

but apparently they haven't been out to my place yet. The tape measure was consistently

reading 21-22.5" as I dug my way along. Decided around 3:30pm to dig a pathway out

to the road & check to see if the mail had made it thru today. It's approximately 280 feet

from the rear door, down the driveway and to the road. Temperature was dropping

from 8° above zero and when I finished almost 2 hrs later, it was -05° below!

Imagine my surprise (and dismay), to discover that my large country mailbox,

was missing from it's perch! Apparently one of the passing snowplows must

have hit it with such force from the snow being thrown out to the side, that it

tore it loose from its' moorings. Managed to retrieve it and bring it back to a

more secure area, but it will be awhile before it can be placed back where it belongs.

Managed to get back inside and decided to check out the exposed area of my face in the mirror.

The guy looking back at me, was grizzled from 3+ days of not shaving and there

were 2"+ icicles hanging from my mustache! No frostbite yet . . . but the night is

still young. Now that I've partially warmed myself, I'd best go close up the barn

and stack a few more logs in the boiler. Take care out there.

Very enjoyable read as I sit here with three pair of flannel pajama pants and two hoodies under my carhart coveralls and my 4 layered socked feet toasting on a heating pad as the critters run me out and in and I have to go out to change the outdoor cats water every hour.

[ROSEMAMA]

CK, do you live next door to me and I don't even know it ?

I stopped shoveling yesterday about 11 am, and had 14" then it snowed for six more hours! UGH! This was just a day after DS 18 rolled his little p/u truck (he's fine, but was WAY too sore to shovel snow). DD lives just down the road and couldn't get her truck out of the drive (plowed in and left her shovel in my garage - she lives in an apt.) so she walked to my house so I could take her to work (YAY! get out there and clean the car off, then...) My boss texted me and said we're not opening the clinic, so enjoy your snow day! Yeah right!

Our house looked like a disco last night as the power was going off and on and off and on (whoop whoop!)

I know what ya mean about the mailbox, but if you build something sturdier (brick, etc.) it just cost more to replace when they hit that....

But it's all good now that I can sit in my chair, with my Baileys Irish Cream and the heating pad heating up for bedtime! Happy Winter, Everyone!

[ninny]

Okay, just gotta ask. What in the world were you expecting in the mail that was so important to go thru what you did? For me to go thru that I would either have to have been expecting a check from the lottery or something else of major importance.

[copperkid3]

Originally Posted by ninny

Okay, just gotta ask. What in the world were you expecting in the mail that was so important to go thru what you did? For me to go thru that I would either have to have been expecting a check from the lottery or something else of major importance.

+ + + + +
that was just 'one' of the motivational ploys that I used

to convince myself to keep shoveling! I mainly wanted a

means of being able to get out to "civilization" if need be.

If I hadn't of used that twisted reasoning to fool myself,

would never have completeted the task to begin with.

Just glad that I'd had the foresight to have parked my

truck the previous night, over at my folk's place; it's only

15 feet off the roadway, but an 1/8 of a mile from my place.

At least now, if I need to go someplace, I can get out and walk

to the truck in -12° f. No promises on getting it started though.

If I'd parked up here on the hill at my place though, that truck

would probably still be sitting stuck until the springtime thaw!!!

[7thswan]

Copper, I'm with you! This is my back door this morning. It was -15. My hubby hasn't been able to make it home in 2 nights now. Our neighbor that plows snow for a living-can't get out. The wc is -35 and it is pretty still,for here. The thing you see on the left in the picture is our gas grill. I will be cross posting in prep. because I learned some things last few days.

[homstdr74]

Originally Posted by ninny

Okay, just gotta ask. What in the world were you expecting in the mail that was so important to go thru what you did? For me to go thru that I would either have to have been expecting a check from the lottery or something else of major importance.

Yup, I'm that way myself. We have a foot of snow on the ground, the temp yesterday was a high of 3 degrees, and the mailbox is a half mile from the house. So the mail is still there (hopefully), 'cause I didn't go get it. It will be over thirty today, or so they say, and I'll drive up on the tractor to plow the road clear out to the blacktop and retrieve the mail.

[ROSEMAMA]

Buck up, Kid! A heatwave's coming this way!