Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Digging Out

Vancouver Voyeur wanted pictures, so I felt obliged to snap a few photos on Saturday morning before the snow started melting.

Last Wednesday, we managed to clear our driveway in 2 hours by playing "tag-team snowblower". The wind was still blowing 25 mph, so we could only blow for 30 minutes before becoming walking snowmen. L went out first and made the first paths through the drifts. We couldn't believe that the snowblower went through the 4 ft bank, left by the snowplow, in just one pass!
The above picture shows how high the drifts were. You have to click on the picture, to make it bigger, to see the top of our grill sticking out of the bank.
Here's our front sidewalk after Z shoveled it. The snowbanks were up to Z's shoulders, so shoveling required a LOT of lifting.

Saturday's forecast called for temps in the 40s. L wanted to clear the path to our fuel-oil tank and birdfeeder before it settled into a solid block of ice. Since the snow was over the top of the snowblower, L had to knock the drifts down with a shovel before he could blow.

It's unbelievable how bi-polar our weather has been. Last Wednesday night, our low temp was -28F. Saturday thru Tuesday, we had highs in the mid 50s. Half of our snow has melted in the past 4 days! Our entire driveway is now snow and ice free for the first time since December. Spring has started, with all the accompanying mud and slop.

The seagulls arrived on Sunday. According to local legend, we always have 3 more snows after the seagulls return. Hopefully those snows won't be 19 inch blizzards!

18 Comments:

At 3/18/2009 5:07 PM, Blogger Squirl said...

You guys really had a ton of snow over there. Makes me glad I don't live any farther north than I do, though the lake adds to our snow.

I hope it melts soon, but not so quickly that you're in a total mud mess.

 
At 3/18/2009 5:20 PM, Blogger Jeannie said...

Thank heavens WE did NOT get the snow! We had a tiny sprinkle which melted with the sun. I can't believe we are virtually snow free already. I'm hope we won't get one more blast of winter before spring comes for real but March usually has a nasty surprise up her sleeve - occasionally April does too.

 
At 3/18/2009 5:57 PM, Blogger Wandering Coyote said...

Hmph!

 
At 3/18/2009 6:45 PM, Blogger S.M. Elliott said...

Crazy. We've all the schizy temperatures, but not all the snow.

 
At 3/18/2009 6:52 PM, Blogger Grizzly Mama said...

Great pics - thanks for posting them. I know this sounds crazy, but I wish that we had gotten some snows like you all got. Hang in there, because spring is right around the corner!

 
At 3/18/2009 9:22 PM, Blogger C said...

Wow! You guys got HAMMERED! We've been blissfully snow-free for a while now. It was in the 60s yesterday, I think, and today it was high 50s. Yay!

You got some great pics! :)

 
At 3/19/2009 2:28 PM, Blogger tshsmom said...

Squirl, it's pretty bad when we beat lake-effect snow this winter. :(

Jeannie, we got a 6 inch dump of snow at the end of last April. ANYTHING can happen between now and June.

WC, are you hmphing because half of our snow melted? ;)

SME, the most appropriate word for our winter is GRUELING!

Grizz, I would've been complaining if we didn't get a couple of feet of snow, but this has been ridiculous!

Candace, right now, we're just grateful to see our driveway! The rest of the snow SHOULD be gone in the next 6 weeks.

 
At 3/19/2009 2:48 PM, Blogger Wandering Coyote said...

No, just a general reaction to the snow...

Guess what's happening right now?

It's snowing.

 
At 3/19/2009 4:14 PM, Blogger tshsmom said...

WC, it turned cold again here. We may get freezing rain tomorrow...oh joy! :(
We still had snow into May last year. I'm expecting the same, or worse, this year. Just call me Pollyanna.

 
At 3/19/2009 7:04 PM, Blogger VV said...

Cool! I really like the shot between the house and the garage where you've cut a path through. Y'all are made of hearty stock up there. I'd never survive those temps and winds. So when are you coming to visit us and the beach?

 
At 3/19/2009 8:05 PM, Blogger none said...

Ain't global warming a b***h? ;D

Actually I miss the sight of a nice clean blanket of snow.

 
At 3/20/2009 4:44 AM, Blogger tweetey30 said...

Wow you guys hit real hard. We didnt get anything like we were suppose to thank goodness. Its been nice to enough here the last few days to light up the fire pit in the back yard and sit and stay warm and talk about nothing at all or just sit there. I love those nights when we can do that as a family. The girls love just being with us.

 
At 3/21/2009 2:12 PM, Blogger Maddy said...

Now that is one heck of a lot of snow as I stand here in my shorts and T-shirt.
Cheers

 
At 3/21/2009 3:54 PM, Blogger The Zombieslayer said...

Unreal. I'm in shorts and a t-shirt, but will probably put on a sweatshirt because it's too cold for that now.

We're from Illinois originally, I think I told you that awhile back. Don't miss the snow one bit.

Good thing about it though - it teaches you to put stuff away. Here in California, I swear half the houses I go to have enough food and supplies for two to three days, tops.

It's already Spring, isn't it? Well, hopefully those 3 snows are gentle.

 
At 3/21/2009 3:56 PM, Blogger Dr Zibbs said...

Looks like fun.

 
At 3/21/2009 5:56 PM, Blogger Gardenia said...

Oh my heavens - I am freezing and feeling exhausted just looking at all that and all the work that entails!!!!

 
At 3/22/2009 7:26 AM, Blogger tshsmom said...

VV, glad you enjoyed the pictures! If I had the money, I'd be on your beach right now. ;)

Hammer, feel free to bring the kids up here anytime you want them to experience snow.

Tweets, I'm jealous! We had to dismantle our firepit when we built the garage. Hopefully, we can get it set up again this summer.

Maddy, Welcome! Even though I'm sick of the snow this winter, I can't tolerate temps higher than 70F. I guess I'm living in the right place, huh?

ZS, I always laugh when I read about snowstorms in southern states. There's always a panic at the grocery stores. Here, the stores are deserted. Nobody likes to shop in bad weather.

Dr Z, Welcome! Yeah, it was a real hoot! ;)

Gardenia, exhausting is the operative word! We didn't get cold as we worked up a sweat clearing the snow. :(
The only positive thing that happened was that the wind was blowing so hard that the snow didn't accumulate on the roofs. Hopefully we won't have to clear the roofs again this year.

 
At 3/23/2009 11:45 PM, Blogger The Zombieslayer said...

Heh. I used to live in the South and can tell you first hand how crazy everyone goes. They think it's the end of the world.

The thing is, they're not even that big of a deal. The ones you get are literally 10 times worse. They get a little bit of snow and think half the world will die and the apocalypse is coming.

Yet, they get hurricanes. Hurricanes suck much worse than snow storms. I just don't get it.

Then they say "how can you move back to California when you know there will be earthquakes?" Well, I'd take an earthquake any day over a hurricane or tornado.

 

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