Too Damned Early for Snowblowing!

[MineralMan]

And yet, I'm heading out the door to remove the 4-5" that fell overnight here in St. Paul, MN. As we say in Minnesota, even Norwegians by marriage like myself:

Uff da!

[NurseJackie]

1. Before we get the snow-blower out... we always check the weather report.

1) Is more snow on the way? (Thus requiring ANOTHER run of the snow-blower... ie: twice the work)

2) Was it a fluke snow with a big warm-up and melt-off due? (If true, just wait.)

Dress warmly. Don't over-exert. At our age there's a risk of working too hard in cold weather (and some snow removal jobs are split between the Mr. and myself... or we'll just break it into a few manageable chunks throughout the daylight hours.)

Good luck!

[Rorey]

8. Sunny side of the street

I live on the sunny side of the street, so Mother Nature helps me out a lot. Sometimes I imagine that I feel some resentment from my neighbors who don't get the sun until afternoon, and then it's really too late to do much good.

I'm the weirdo who actually sort of enjoys shoveling snow. I usully only have to do it a handful of times throughout the winter. I'm sure I wouldn't like it too much if it was need more regularly.

[MineralMan]

11. I went out early, before the snow could get slushy.

I do it in two stages. First, I shovel my yard walks and porches and push the snow off the car. Then, I take a break, have a cup of coffee and a snack. Then, once my breating and heart rate are completely back to normal, I do the snowblowing, which is way less energetic in nature. I can do all of that in one effort. Takes less than half an hour, unless we've had a blizzard. In that case, I break up the snowblowing into two rounds.

At 75, I pay attention to my breathing and heart rate when I'm doing strenuous work. I stop for a breather now and then and never let either get into dangerous territory. It's good exercise if you don't overdo it, really.

[NurseJackie]

14. My husband likes to take "before-and-after" photos for me to post on FB...

... he likes to show-off a little. And he seems to enjoy the "likes" and compliments that follow. (And I must admit, there's a bit of satisfaction to be had in a job well-done... especially a big one with dramatic-looking results.)

[MineralMan]

15. One of my neighbors and I have a sort of competition.

Whoever gets out there first clears the city sidewalks in front of both houses. That's a snowblower job, of course. My neighbor beat me to it this morning. Most of the neighbors on the block get everything cleared pretty quickly after each storm. Those of us with blowers take care of the houses where there is no blower, too. Once you have the blower running, you might as well keep on clearing if there's someone who would have to shovel a driveway or city sidewalk. I'd guess about half of the people who live on this block have a snowblower. Many simply can't afford one.

When I retired my previous snowblower, it was still running, so i gave it a general service job and gave it to a neighbor, who is still using it four years later. I kept it for 10 years. It was still OK, but the engine was a little worn and didn't have as much power as when it was new. I figure it cost me about $50 a year, so it was a good bargain for me. My new one should probably last just as long.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Too wet and sloppy to blow, I should think.

Doesn't it just splat?

I just got new cross-country skis and was all psyched to try them out today (I am a for-real Norwegian), but all that snow is just wet mush over ice. Will probably have to wait until December when we get some real snow.

[MineralMan]

12. I got out early, before it started to melt much.

Snowblower handled it just fine. Had i waited, though, it would have been mush that clogs the chute. Now, though, my driveway and walks are cleared completely. Not a terrible job today.

[MontanaMama]

3. I feel your pain.

Woke up to 6 inches of heavy snow...this was after 5 inches yesterday and that same amount over the weekend. It’s a family effort to get the driveway cleared before everyone leaves for work and school. I have a thing about cars running over the snow in the driveway and once they do you can’t get the surface totally clear. You’re right, it’s too early.

[Rorey]

7. Even walking on it makes it worse, as you know

It was a "gritch" I'd have against my now-ex-husband. He'd go out and walk on it before we shoveled and then I'd have to chip away at his footprints. It's funny, but I think about those little things every time I shovel snow. Maybe someday that jerk won't be in my head anymore.

(Sorry to gritch.)

[MontanaMama]

9. You can gritch anytime!

Plan on me doing the same all winter long if it keeps up like this. I love Montana but I don’t want to move snow until I’m dead.

[Rorey]

10. I'm hoping I can go on a road trip through Montana one of these years

It's beautiful! I mean, so is Colorado, but in a different way.

[MineralMan]

13. I hear you. I'm very careful about walking on snow.

Typically, i go out the door, shovel in hand, and clear ahead of myself to avoid packing snow with my boots. I even shovel a path in front of me to go to the detached garage to fire up the snowblower. I'm a pusher, not a digger, too, except when I must dig out the snow. The fewer times I have to lift the shovel and toss the snow, the better.

[Jersey Devil]

4. gave away my snowblower and shovels 4 years ago

when I moved from northern NJ to North Carolina. In 4 winters down here in NC we've had one storm with about an inch of snow which melted the next day. I am not buying another snow shovel - ever. Funny thing is, if a slight chance of snow somehow sneaks into the weather forecast, everything closes down for 2-3 days anyway.

[GoCubsGo]

5. Too late to be in the 80s here.

No, I am not trying to rub it in. I live about 25 miles from Augusta National Golf Course. They are holding the Master's tomorrow. It's warmer now than it is when they normally hold that thing, and it's the middle of NOVEMBER!!! It's normally about 20 degrees cooler this time of year. Yet, some say that climate change is not real...

[LeftInTX]

18. Ugh...same in Texas

I'm in South Texas, so I thought it was cooler further north...

Ugh, the heat is everywhere...

Won't cool off....

We need one of those nasty cold fronts that just blows everything into the gulf...

[Rorey]

6. Uff da!

My best friend is from Milwaukee, and she says that too.

I was actually born in St. Paul, but we moved when I was 5. i still have a lot of relatives there. I don't miss the winter cold at all.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. "Uff da" isn't used much in Norway now; it's mostly Minnesotan.

If you want to be really authentic, go with "Herregud!" (OMG!) or "faen" (vulgar slang, the equivalent of our F-bomb, though it doesn't literally mean that).

[Rorey]

17. LOL, well thanks for that info

My friend is actually Polish, so I assume she just picked that up through life, being around people who use the phrase. She's hilarious, so I can see how she'd do that.

I do have a cousin-type person who is Norwegian. He lives south of the Twin Cities. I don't recall ever hearing him use the phrase. My dad's family was German and my mom's family was originally from England, I'm told. We didn't really have any funny phrases like that.