Feeling snowbound
The snow is really gettng to me.. I'm starting to feel like Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining. This is absolutly nuts. Today we got another few inches of fluff... it snowed all day. The sun poked its way out for a while, the abandoned us. The temps have been rediculously low.. Tonight it's 21.. which is pretty warm for what it's been. Because it's been so cold, the snow that is melting on the roofs is re-freezing and becoming ice dams and destroying homes.. Roofs are caving in left and right because there is just so much snow.. and this is fluffy snow... if we get any wet snow or rain on top of this.. WOW... its going to be a disaster.
My aunt and MIL are both in Florida... I have to go check on the MIL's house tomorrow. She has ice dams building up and last time there was a huge icicle on her electric line... I was able to break some of that off.. but not all. And it will surely have grown. I don't know what the ice is doing, there was no evidence of it inside last time we checked... but that could change.
My aunt left for the winter and didn't contract anyone to plow, so there is 4 feet of snow in her driveway. I've had to shovel my way in to check on the house.. and shovel a path for the oil man... and now that she has a ton of snow on her roof, the lower roof that I could reach, I cant get to it, because of all the other snow in the driveway. I am going to go over tomorrow to try to shovel and removed some of the snow... And then I have to go to my MIL's and check on that and the cat. Sigh... 70 roofs caved in so far in the state this week? Sheesh.
And I have to swing by the cemetery and see whats up there. My snowblower is done.. the gears are now slipping in the auger.. I have no idea why it loosened up. Just have to tear it down all over again. Mother of god. I think its going to have to wait until the summer. Maybe time to replace the thing. I don't know. It's been a good maching.. but either I didn't put it back together right or I don't know... It ran well for the last 3 storms... but it's done now. All I have left is the backhoe.. which is good for moving piles, but not really great for plowing. The snow blower is actually better for that.
I've decided I need to buy a few more roof rakes for next year.. and just put them away.. Some guy was looking for $300.00 for one on facebook. I saw my neighbor using one of the new kind of rake, it's got a sort of slip and slide on it and you cut the snow and it slides down the plastic.... seemed to work okay.. at least to get the bulk off.. though I like to really get the snow off to bare bones.. or it turns to ice and makes the dams. But at this point.. anything is better than having all that snow.
Now I see there is a gas shortage in NH.. because Boston's ports are snowed in....
And then there is the T.... The public transportation is done.. and so are all the poor people who depend on it. And somewhere in this horrible mess, we wonder, are they doing this on purpose? Is this some kind of scam? Hell, even the new commuter rail lines are not running.... although they were.. it's so hit or miss and nonsensicle it really makes you wonder. In any event, I feel really sorry for anyone who has to use public transportation.
And still there is more snow on the way.. and bitter cold...