This week I am amazed that there are 32 people from Sweden reading my blog...that's clearly even more than a regular month when the highest numbers are from Canada. I wonder what the Swedes found likable or objectionable about my posts? Could be that they were mentioned in my Christmas post, or that they know my great grandmother was from their country. Once again, I have to say that blogging brings joy on so many levels...at least for the blogger!
Here in Saskatchewan, we have been waiting patiently for the arrival of Spring. The snowbanks on either side of my driveway are at least two feet higher than I stand. Trying to hoist the snow on the shovel to the top of them has become almost impossible. I've had to resort to starting two new piles of the white stuff on the street (which I understand is technically against the law). The garbage truck has a difficult time making it around to our residential neighbourhoods some days, possibly because of the infrequent clearing of the sidestreets by the city. The driver has no choice but to drive overtop of my one little street pile, but that is a small price to pay. Main thoroughfares get done often, but sidestreets only if you call in apparently. The first snow was in early October and it was one of those that caused huge rutts that froze and didn't go away. All winter long it's been like driving on a cord-wood road. There have been plenty of overnight snows with polished-up, glistened roadways in the morning. This is life as we know it in this part of the country for as far back as I can remember.
Driving in these conditions is like learning the finesse of throwing just the exact draw weight of a curling rock. You have to calculate the speed of the slide, knowing exactly when it or you and your vehicle will stop. Good tires, anti-locking brakes and 4x4 certainly help, but there's no stopping on a dime in this part of the country. I've decided that most drivers, especially at rush hour, are practiced at the glide stop and courteous so that they give you enough room to maneouvre. There are exceptions to every rule and don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of accidents. On the whole though, I have found the rush hour drivers to be quite predictable and cautious (at least those who frequent the less-travelled routes like I do). (Touch wood, because this could change). I do try to avoid the freeways unless it's a severe storm though. I know the freeway will have the snow cleared first, so a better bet all around in that event. However, regardless of side road or express route, there are still vehicles and drivers that don't do well in snow. Smooth tires are tricky and don't do well with hills or stopping and starting at intersections. Those who fail to clear their snow-covered vehicle windows are also a hazard on the road.
I was whining to myself driving home from work one day this winter that I was just about over the daily trudging back and forth from home to downtown. Then I saw a taxi driver and felt instantly ashamed of myself. Think of the life of bus drivers, delivery personnel and all those who work from their vehicles. They have something to complain about, yet, for the most part, stay silent on the subject. The city says it does not have a budget for snow removal. So if the piles of snow are smack dab in the middle of everything in the residential areas, that's likely where they're going to stay. Some people resort to hiring their own contractors for snow removal, but few neighbourhood streets get cleared right down to the pavement on a regular basis. We know, live and understand that some winters are much worse than others, and like this one, the money is drained early with alot of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It's our tax money after all and there are only so many people to pay. Some winters are mild with very little snow, to allow for a chance to build a nest egg for another bad year down the road. A bit of a crap shoot I believe, but there's only so much money and so streets are cleared on a priority basis. Where boulevards are so high with snow that motorists can't see oncoming vehicles the boulevard itself might be cleared...especially if an accident has occured at that corner. I can think of two boulevards at the moment, one cleared and one not. Both had zero visibility for months this winter. The one cleared was near a high school and there was an accident. One is still left piled high with snow and is an approach to the road that runs along the riverbank. Not a good combination.
One morning this week, I found water all over my kitchen countertop beside the sink. I stood there confounded and felt splashing on my neck and arm. At the top of the kitchen window were three large droplets forming over and over again. To say I went outside and investigated is an understatement. The snow is thigh high. First I had to get the back gate opened to even get into the back yard. Then I had to physically plow through the snowbanks to get to the deck and do the same all the way up the steps. I was able to stand on top of a chair covered with several feet of snow to chip away part of a thick layer of ice covering the whole eavestrough and extending for about six feet along the length. I used a tire iron and it worked pretty good. My elbows are still burning a few days later, so not the best exercise, but what the heck. Back inside, I rigged up a water catching system using a long narrow planter (with a drain) strung up with blue super-cord and suspended the whole thing from the roman blind hook. Next, I precariously perched a huge Tupperware container on two ice cream pails and the edge of the faucet and handle in the hopes that the water would drain into it. Prior to that, I had two butter dishes sitting on the window sill that were filling up entirely too quickly. (I'm nothing if not ingenious LOL). After all, it was a work day and I was on my way out the door. When I came home in the evening, the centre of gravity for the planter had shifted so it had one end down and the other up. The water had pooled at the low end, but wasn't enough to be anywhere near the drain hole. Even so, the dripping had stopped and has not returned several days later. Even with the warm day yesterday, there is no more dripping. Yippee! My son-in-law came and took a look and we both agree there's not much else to be done for it except to wait for the Spring thaw. A co-worker told me there is some type of warming apparatus you can buy to put on your roof. I guess it looks like a really thick extension cord. Both my son-in-law and I are in the mood for holding off on this idea, at least for the time being.
Apparently, this type of ice damming has caused grief in many places to the point I have seen Facebook ads at $150/hour for an 'expert' to come fix the problem. Oh brother...On the one hand the ambulance personnel are advertising daily on TV for people to please stay off their roof. Time after time, you see or hear of people up shovelling, some get away with it, but some don't. They say a fall from over six feet can be fatal. The people with a flat roof are also complaining of drips. They tar around every spot and pipe they can think of it, and still the roof leaks (flat being somewhat safer to walk around on than the peaked type, I would think). In the next breath, we hear of a roof that collapses under the weight of the snow. Red River Roping and Riding Arena in Prince Albert had this happen within the last couple of weeks.
So what a relief when yesterday, the streets were wet and the low spots full of water. I went to Giant Tiger and bought a few things. The sun was glorious and I was too hot in my winter coat. I even pushed the shopping cart clear across the parking lot to return it to the collection site (over the rutts and slush). I was astounded to see several feet of snow inside where the carts should sit because I guess NOBODY does that there...
On the way home, I was almost hypnotized into going for a car wash, but snapped out of it when I realized the futility. Even with Spring Fever just right around the corner, not only me, but many others are talking about their uneasiness that the melt will happen fast and the result will be flooding. Regardless, I'm enjoying the warmer weather and pretty soon that sun roof will open. I will be happy to drive in the evening after the streets were wet all day because I will know the sun has dried the pavement, leaving no slippage. Then again, there's black ice.
Awwh..... winter....we have a love/hate relationship with you. :-)
Here in Saskatchewan, we have been waiting patiently for the arrival of Spring. The snowbanks on either side of my driveway are at least two feet higher than I stand. Trying to hoist the snow on the shovel to the top of them has become almost impossible. I've had to resort to starting two new piles of the white stuff on the street (which I understand is technically against the law). The garbage truck has a difficult time making it around to our residential neighbourhoods some days, possibly because of the infrequent clearing of the sidestreets by the city. The driver has no choice but to drive overtop of my one little street pile, but that is a small price to pay. Main thoroughfares get done often, but sidestreets only if you call in apparently. The first snow was in early October and it was one of those that caused huge rutts that froze and didn't go away. All winter long it's been like driving on a cord-wood road. There have been plenty of overnight snows with polished-up, glistened roadways in the morning. This is life as we know it in this part of the country for as far back as I can remember.
Driving in these conditions is like learning the finesse of throwing just the exact draw weight of a curling rock. You have to calculate the speed of the slide, knowing exactly when it or you and your vehicle will stop. Good tires, anti-locking brakes and 4x4 certainly help, but there's no stopping on a dime in this part of the country. I've decided that most drivers, especially at rush hour, are practiced at the glide stop and courteous so that they give you enough room to maneouvre. There are exceptions to every rule and don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of accidents. On the whole though, I have found the rush hour drivers to be quite predictable and cautious (at least those who frequent the less-travelled routes like I do). (Touch wood, because this could change). I do try to avoid the freeways unless it's a severe storm though. I know the freeway will have the snow cleared first, so a better bet all around in that event. However, regardless of side road or express route, there are still vehicles and drivers that don't do well in snow. Smooth tires are tricky and don't do well with hills or stopping and starting at intersections. Those who fail to clear their snow-covered vehicle windows are also a hazard on the road.
I was whining to myself driving home from work one day this winter that I was just about over the daily trudging back and forth from home to downtown. Then I saw a taxi driver and felt instantly ashamed of myself. Think of the life of bus drivers, delivery personnel and all those who work from their vehicles. They have something to complain about, yet, for the most part, stay silent on the subject. The city says it does not have a budget for snow removal. So if the piles of snow are smack dab in the middle of everything in the residential areas, that's likely where they're going to stay. Some people resort to hiring their own contractors for snow removal, but few neighbourhood streets get cleared right down to the pavement on a regular basis. We know, live and understand that some winters are much worse than others, and like this one, the money is drained early with alot of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It's our tax money after all and there are only so many people to pay. Some winters are mild with very little snow, to allow for a chance to build a nest egg for another bad year down the road. A bit of a crap shoot I believe, but there's only so much money and so streets are cleared on a priority basis. Where boulevards are so high with snow that motorists can't see oncoming vehicles the boulevard itself might be cleared...especially if an accident has occured at that corner. I can think of two boulevards at the moment, one cleared and one not. Both had zero visibility for months this winter. The one cleared was near a high school and there was an accident. One is still left piled high with snow and is an approach to the road that runs along the riverbank. Not a good combination.
One morning this week, I found water all over my kitchen countertop beside the sink. I stood there confounded and felt splashing on my neck and arm. At the top of the kitchen window were three large droplets forming over and over again. To say I went outside and investigated is an understatement. The snow is thigh high. First I had to get the back gate opened to even get into the back yard. Then I had to physically plow through the snowbanks to get to the deck and do the same all the way up the steps. I was able to stand on top of a chair covered with several feet of snow to chip away part of a thick layer of ice covering the whole eavestrough and extending for about six feet along the length. I used a tire iron and it worked pretty good. My elbows are still burning a few days later, so not the best exercise, but what the heck. Back inside, I rigged up a water catching system using a long narrow planter (with a drain) strung up with blue super-cord and suspended the whole thing from the roman blind hook. Next, I precariously perched a huge Tupperware container on two ice cream pails and the edge of the faucet and handle in the hopes that the water would drain into it. Prior to that, I had two butter dishes sitting on the window sill that were filling up entirely too quickly. (I'm nothing if not ingenious LOL). After all, it was a work day and I was on my way out the door. When I came home in the evening, the centre of gravity for the planter had shifted so it had one end down and the other up. The water had pooled at the low end, but wasn't enough to be anywhere near the drain hole. Even so, the dripping had stopped and has not returned several days later. Even with the warm day yesterday, there is no more dripping. Yippee! My son-in-law came and took a look and we both agree there's not much else to be done for it except to wait for the Spring thaw. A co-worker told me there is some type of warming apparatus you can buy to put on your roof. I guess it looks like a really thick extension cord. Both my son-in-law and I are in the mood for holding off on this idea, at least for the time being.
Apparently, this type of ice damming has caused grief in many places to the point I have seen Facebook ads at $150/hour for an 'expert' to come fix the problem. Oh brother...On the one hand the ambulance personnel are advertising daily on TV for people to please stay off their roof. Time after time, you see or hear of people up shovelling, some get away with it, but some don't. They say a fall from over six feet can be fatal. The people with a flat roof are also complaining of drips. They tar around every spot and pipe they can think of it, and still the roof leaks (flat being somewhat safer to walk around on than the peaked type, I would think). In the next breath, we hear of a roof that collapses under the weight of the snow. Red River Roping and Riding Arena in Prince Albert had this happen within the last couple of weeks.
So what a relief when yesterday, the streets were wet and the low spots full of water. I went to Giant Tiger and bought a few things. The sun was glorious and I was too hot in my winter coat. I even pushed the shopping cart clear across the parking lot to return it to the collection site (over the rutts and slush). I was astounded to see several feet of snow inside where the carts should sit because I guess NOBODY does that there...
On the way home, I was almost hypnotized into going for a car wash, but snapped out of it when I realized the futility. Even with Spring Fever just right around the corner, not only me, but many others are talking about their uneasiness that the melt will happen fast and the result will be flooding. Regardless, I'm enjoying the warmer weather and pretty soon that sun roof will open. I will be happy to drive in the evening after the streets were wet all day because I will know the sun has dried the pavement, leaving no slippage. Then again, there's black ice.
Awwh..... winter....we have a love/hate relationship with you. :-)
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