I'm getting pretty tired of the snow. Hard to find complete data by storm (which seems odd) but we had about 18" here Dec 20th, 20" Feb 6th, 10" Feb 10th, and a total of about 55" total (some minor snowfalls along the way)...
55" of snow in Southern Maryland? That just bizarre. And there is more forecast for Mon 15th. That's only the middle of Feb! We have had bad snowstorms in March on occasion...
After the December snowstorm, I finally decided to buy a snow blower. Right, all the local stores were sold out for the year and had no plans to restock. I looked online, but the manufacturers wanted another $350 just to ship one! I'll have to wait for next November, and believe me, I'll be there the day they arrive.
I've been lucky this year in that a neighbor teen is looking for money and willing to shovel my 65' driveway for about $10 per 6". He is neither fast nor skilled (I could shovel it in half the time without over-exerting myself), but that is up to him. I offered suggestions the first time, but he just wanted to do it his way. He is willing to do the work, so I am grateful...
The official snowfall isn't the same as the amount to be shoveled from the driveway. Especially this last snowfall. We got an official 10", but the accumulated snow is 30" deep and my nice cleaned driveway was just a tub waiting to be filled by the blowing snow. The new driveway depth was 18"!
I decided I had to shovel my own driveway at least once this year, so I got at it just as the snow was tapering off. The neighbor has to do his own first, and the last time, it took him 2 days to finish mine. I'm not ungrateful, but I needed to do some shopping (food, beer, printer ink, cat food, etc). I had done about 1/4 on the driveway when my adult neighbor with his snowblower came up and started work. YAY! I had been SO jealous watching him do his driveway in 15 minutes in each of the snowstorms. He just started right up the driveway. I've only talked to him a couple times casually, so I didn't think I could ask to borrow it.
So he did the main part and I kept busy cleaning up the edges and leftovers. He stopped and said he was sorry he hadn't offered to help before. Sorry? I was thrilled he was willing to help even once. He didn't have to at all. Most of this neighborhood is renters, so it isn't "close-knit and cooperative". I've been here 26 years, and everybody just goes away after a couple years. He moved here 2 years ago, and he says he plans to stick around for a decade. That could work out well. We both like to fish, I noticed he tried to grow a tomato last Summer, and he has mentioned that he hunts deer. He likes cats too (has 2 and mourned the loss of one the same week I lost Skeeter).
Anyway, more snow pictures:
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A Day Late
But I wanted to remember a sad day. I remember some parts. I was only 13. I saw a lot on TV afterwards. But my most specific image is the...
2 comments:
You have a lot in common with your neighbor=it was very nice of him to help out with his blower...You guys should get together for a beer sometime and get to know each other=it would be nice to have a friend next door...I almost hate to tell you it snowed here in Louisiana last week over 5 inches in 2 days and melted on the 3rd day (the last time it snowed that much here I was in high school, about 30 years ago!)...Good luck with all that snow!
Mate, that is bizarre. Up here in Canada, just outside of the Olympics in Vancouver (I can see the ski hills from here on a clear day) I have cut the grass twice already this year, started planting onions etc, the lavender is growing, daffodils flowering and cherry trees in full blossom. But this is Canada after all! ;)
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