Monday, March 2, 2015

Winter Work

I spent quite a bit of time today clearing a quarter-inch coating of ice from my steps and sidewalks. And I have a lot of sidewalk to clear - maybe 160 feet? This is my first real ice storm since I moved from "sunny Southern California" to the east coast. The ice was beautiful, all sparkly and amazing when the sun came out and glinted off all the little icicles hanging from the tree branches. But I felt... trapped. My front and back steps were covered with slippery "black ice," as were the handrails. To let my dog out to do his business, I stood (very carefully) on the top step and let him out on a 30-foot retractable leash. He did fine - I was proud of him. He had a little trouble scrambling back up the ice-coated steps, though!

Fortunately, the sun came out mid-morning and the temperature rose above freezing and then climbed several degrees above the forecast. Still, getting the ice off the steps and sidewalks required first breaking the ice up with the edge of a flat-bladed shovel - pound, pound, pound - and then scooping the ice shards off the sidewalk. In a few shady spots, I had to literally scrape the ice off the pavement with the edge of a metal snow shovel, held upside down. Horribly noisy.

But by sundown my walks were all ice-free and dry. Which is good, since it's fallen below freezing again. You know, I love my corner lot with the southern exposure, and all the windows along the south side of my house. I imagine my home is much more comfortable without air conditioning in the hot summer months than those without all the windows. But on days like this, when there is a lot of the cold frozen stuff to clear from the sidewalks, I find myself wondering if a corner lot is really the best choice for a retirement home!

OK, I'm just grousing. It only snows a few days a year. And this is the first real ice storm I've seen. But hot, humid weather lasts for months. So there's really no contest. Were this a snowier climate, like Boston and its 100+ inches of snow this year, maybe my answer would be different.

Of course, I could probably find someone to pay to shovel my sidewalks. When I'm clearing a scant inch of snow off them some young man or other usually stops by to ask if I want some help (for pay, of course) and I always laughingly refuse. Funny... nobody at all stopped by today. Hmmm. Well, at any rate, I see again how important it is to stay in decent physical shape so that you can do things for yourself. It's good exercise, the tasks tend to get done correctly, and it's a lot cheaper.

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