Snow & Ice Removal

Two things I wanted to get done on Saturday morning was shoveling the snow off the ice on the front porch, sidewalk and driveway. I would let the sun do its own work on what was left on the driveway because as you can see, I had no trouble before cleaning it getting in and out with my car. The snow was wet and heavy. The other day the snow I shoveled on the porch and sidewalk was light as powder.

While the neighbor was shoveling around a car in his driveway he told me the two AT&T trucks that were there yesterday were working on his AT&T fiber at his house. His outside connection was damaged when his utility pole broke in two and the lines pulling the Fiber connection away from the house. They had given him a temporary fix so he and his family had their internet back.

I did not try to break up the ice with a shovel like my neighbor to the left of me did. I was getting enough work just scraping the wet heavy snow off the ice. The sidewalk and porch was much cleaner because I had shoveled it the other day and the sun had melted any ice away.

This is the at least second time I have done this in the four winters I have lived here, maybe three. I am wondering if a snow blower might be my next purchase, after all I am getting older. I had to take some breaks today leaning up against his truck. My Apple Watch told me my heart rate was up to 137. Not bad really but it never gets that high when I am climbing a steep hill with my bicycle in the spring and summer. 

By the look of that flower pot we got our 4" to 6" that was predicted. 

The patio was going to be a different story. I wanted to get it down to the deck itself no matter what I had to do. The pet food store was closed due to weather today, so I wasn't able to buy salt that is safe for pets. I didn't want to drive around town looking for that. Rural King was sold out of it. Not a problem though but it took some work. 

I followed the same process I did with the driveway, shoveling the snow off the ice first. I slid those piles of snow to each side of the deck. I left a little opening on each side for the hounds and dogs to get off the deck into the yard but even out there they are walking on iced snow. I used a spade to break the ice up in sections, then slide it off the deck.

I had to see some sort of progress so I did a corner. The iced deck was breaking up into the sections you see below with just one slam of the spade. That is some thick ice.

Sorry for the yellow snow but I assume one of them couldn't wait much longer or ... they didn't want to go in the yard. Most likely it was a time that was probably too cold to stay out very long.

This is the bottom surface of what I was breaking up. 

Finally the deck was clear and it wasn't long after this the whole deck was dry and looked like it would in the summer on a dry day.

At 30° and sunny it was good to see some of that ice start breaking off the utility lines. I found out today that it was not the transformer down the street in the other direction of this photo, that caused my power loss. That top line down about three houses to the right of the photo had snapped off from the pole connection. THAT is why I saw the workers walking back to that area during my Thursday morning walk and then on my way back those top two lines that go across the street were bouncing a little as they had connected them after they were repaired.

Ava had to give me her final inspection of my work. I came inside took off my jacket, sock hat which was wet from sweat, the flannel shirt and then thermal shirt I would wear if I were skiing. That shirt had flicked off the moisture from my skin just as it was designed to do. A hot shower felt fantastic and a new set of warm clothes. I was set for the rest of the day. Actual work time -- two hours. 

After a couple tall glasses of water it was time for a siesta, since the hounds and dogs had been fed and watered. I was so hot from all the shoveling exercise I had done I turned the house down to 60° and headed for a deep sleep two hour nap. I snuck 800mg of Ibuprofen into my blood stream before laying down to sleep. 

It was a good Saturday here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana ... bright sunshine will do that.