January snowfall has for the most part been limited to nightly dustings of new snow. Not enough to plow, the snow was driven over frequently. That compression began the creation of a glacier on the surface of the driveway. The resulting hard and slippery road surface caused a delivery driver to make a u turn at the reverse curve rather than continue up the gentler hill. That seemed like a poor choice to me, but the driver was able to make her exit unassisted after dropping our package in a snow bank. Lucky for her, I found the parcel before nightfall.
This morning the air was cool and calm. Steadily falling large snow flakes and the insulation from sound produced by the density of snow in the air suggested that it was time for a walk in the woods. Clearing the driveway called louder so I headed out to work rather than to walk.
My lawn tractor lacks the speed to push a quantity of snow to the side. Two round trips with the plow left a fair sized row of snow near the edge of the roadway. Then the snow blower was called upon to throw that snow clear of the driveway. High wide skids keep the blower riding above the gravel surface. The inch of snow left behind was then plowed to the edge.
The combination of the plow and the blower kept me out of trouble today. I'm certain that the blower would do an excellent job of clearing a suburban blacktop level driveway. My sloped, both to the side and downhill drive, has a tendency to pull either the front or the back of the machine into the deep snow depending on movement either uphill or down. If one gets stuck going down hill, one is really stuck. Trying to back out only makes matters worse as the rear of the tractor then moves to bury itself.
The plow tractor has a new parking spot next to the truck. Bitter cold and an aged battery combine to require an occasional jump start. That is more easily accomplished in newly fallen snow if the two machines are within reach of each other.
This afternoon winds shifted to blast at us from the north. With the temperature dropping fast, my pleasant snowy morning turned into a windy, frigid afternoon. The walk in the woods will have to wait for a warmer day.
1 comment:
Your weather sounds similar to ours here in Southern Wisconsin, although I think overall you've had more snow than us this winter. I liked the way you described the beauty and insulating value of the big, puffy flakes. Some snow showers are more pleasant than others. The ones on mild days with no wind are beautiful!
Post a Comment