Snowfall is like a romance. When it first arrives it is clean, bright and filled with promise of adventure.
After a while it becomes tedious and while you can recall the beginnings, the adventure is getting a little old.
By the time the end rolls around you just wish it would hurry up and leave. There is all sorts of collateral damage that is coming to light. Things are no longer clean and bright… in fact it is messy, slushy, muddy, and miserable.
The last few flakes fell out of the sky Friday. Rain returned in full force Friday afternoon. Since we had accumulated well over a meter of snow up here in the foothills it is taking forever to melt. We still have over a foot on the ground and it is slowly vanishing. The air is heavy with moisture and fog collects above empty ground as the wetness really has nowhere to go. The snow is dirty, as all the fallen tree debris is being uncovered as things melt.
The big slab of snow on the barn roof slid off today, pulling part of a rain gutter along with it. I still have not turned the water on out there though… I’ll likely wait for mid-week when the threat of a night-time freeze is gone. I imagine it will be Wednesday before we lose all the major accumulations of snow.
I did manage to get the Jetta moved today though. Sorry no pics. I shoveled out a path immediately ahead of it. Then I got Sue’s Jeep out and created a pathway for the little VW to follow. I just patiently drove up and down the driveway, the full â…“rd mile out to the plowed road. First in 4WD-Low, then is just plain 4WD. The shovel lowered a few of the very deep “high-center” areas where the ruts were very deep. During the warmest, slushiest part of the day I hopped into the Jetta and braced myself for the journey. I already had the tow eye threaded in and a tow-strap ready in the Jeep should I get stuck. The Jetta started on the first try (always a good sign) and I put it in gear and just maintained a steady, but slow pace all the way out to the road. It never hesitated or slipped too much except for the odd transition corner I had to negotiate not long after I started. Patience and persistence saw me all the way out to wet pavement. It is now parked out there awaiting my morning commute.
I bet there is NO way I would have made it out come morning if we do indeed freeze again tonight.
The boys arrive home in the early afternoon. I’ll pick them up at Sea-Tac and bring them home.
At least now I’m certain I can.
sounds like a lot of ‘fun’ Chuck! apart from the odd bit of rain the weather here has been good for the holidays so far… might even have to get out the sandpaper and paint brush and attack the next job on the house… on the infinite list of things to do on it…
hope there is not too much more collateral damage found once all the white disappears…
Jerome
That’s an insane amount of snow you’ve had to deal with in that area. A friend of mine is a 911 dispatcher and had to spend three nights at work because of the snow. Another friend is a coder at a hospital and they made her work from home for over a week. Craziness.
We’re on day 16 now. Here at my office it is gone except for the plow-piles. At home… still several inches. =(