A fine mess

Saturday, it was cold. The snow came down light and fine. When Karl and I were out about 7 that night there was nearly 5 inches of new, powdery snow on the driveway. I started the snowblower thinking that if it continued to snow overnight as forecast, it would be easier in the morning if I only had the overnight snow to contend with. The snowblower had other thoughts – it has been running rough, quitting…I treated the gas hoping it was just condensation. It started! – but the auger was frozen…I moved it into the house on a tarp to thaw out and resigned myself to working on maybe a foot of snow in the morning.

It didn’t snow overnight. It did warm up. At 5:30 Sunday morning, the temperature was 34 and it was raining. The light, sugary snow had turned into a heavy, wet mess. Snow was still dropping from the trees, but it was dropping in heavy, ugly clumps…not misty avalanches of powder.

The snowblower started but still did not sound good. I had arranged for plowing if needed, but decided to try to at least clear the edges to guide the plow. The snow was so thick and heavy that it was hard going and the blower finally gave in to whatever problem it is having. I called my neighbor who was my backup.

His chained tires had trouble a few times, spinning as he worked on moving the heavy snow that formed giant snowballs which finally rolled off the plow blade.

A mess, but the drive and turnaround are clear. The snowblower is to be picked up by the repair place and neighbor, Adam, will be plowing for awhile.

There was, however, something pretty in the day. A week or so ago, a reader sent me a link to instructions for making ice art out of doilies. I didn’t have any doilies, but I did have some crocheted snowflake ornaments made by my grandmother. I didn’t cut a real tree this year and hadn’t used them in the house, so an easy art or science project depending on your perspective…

As they melted, they melted from the center out.

A bit of beauty amongst a fine mess.

Tree avalanche

The snow we have now has come when the temperature has been very cold so it is dry, light and airy. It clings to everything…

The snow piles up on tree branches…

But…eventually, the amount of snow, or snow and a bit of sun cause gravity to do its thing and a branch sheds its accumulation of snow. If it is a high branch, the avalanche of snow from the high branch brings snow from lower branches in its path. Karl and I have both been “caught” – Karl lays his ears back and runs and then looks at me as if to say “What, I did nothing?”. I hear the sound, feel the first rush of snow and hunker down in my coat with my cowboy hat for protection as the weight of the snow falls around me. This afternoon, as snow has been falling heavily, the trees have been thunderously shedding snow with increasing frequency. It falls all around the sunroom where I’m working and Karl is napping near me – startling us when it falls near or on the house.

Thunder of snow…tree avalanche.

Karl’s dilemma

hmmm….there is a perfectly wonderful dog bed on the front porch…

Oh…

I shovel off part of the roof. The additions to the original part of the house did not include new roof trusses. The front part of the roof and particularly the porch roof is extremely flat. Two problems – the bathroom vent gets buried quickly and the snow load on the porch roof can get ugly fast. It is much easier to push off 3-6-8 inches of light fluffy snow as it comes down than to dig out a foot or more of heavy compacted snow…ask me how I know this…

The roof dump interferes with Karl’s “view” of his yard. What is a dog to do?

Singing apparently helps…

At least the heated water bowl works.