Winter 2020-21 is coming

[Holman]

[Kraken]

Wet heavy snow is the worst. It seems like every winter we swap between the soft light stuff and the real sandbag-heavy snow.

Because of proximity to the coast and local terrain, we're usually right on the rain/snow line. A few miles one way or the other makes a big difference. We often get what I call slopstorms -- rain, freezing rain, snow, sleet, rain again, and then top it all off with a hard freeze. Slopstorms usually don't accumulate more than 6-8", but it's nasty stuff to clean up.

I only used my snowblower twice this year, and only really needed it one of those times. Our winter was colder and drier than usual, but within normal parameters.

Glad I'm not in CO tonight. We've got 25 degrees and wind.

[TheMix]

Heh. I used my snowblower twice today.

Really glad I got a fairly powerful 2-stage. Even so, when I decided to take a run the second time at the stuff piled on street in front of the driveway, it choked miserably. So I gave up. We weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. If the need does arise, I'll manually shovel a section just wide enough for one car. Of course, kind of pointless right now since the side street we are on has not been plowed yet. And we watched a couple other people in the neighborhood get stuck already. So I think I'll stay home.

[Kraken]

Heh. I used my snowblower twice today.

Really glad I got a fairly powerful 2-stage. Even so, when I decided to take a run the second time at the stuff piled on street in front of the driveway, it choked miserably. So I gave up. We weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. If the need does arise, I'll manually shovel a section just wide enough for one car. Of course, kind of pointless right now since the side street we are on has not been plowed yet. And we watched a couple other people in the neighborhood get stuck already. So I think I'll stay home.

During our record-setting winter of 2014-15, the snowbanks got higher than my snowblower could blow. The nice thing about records is that it shouldn't happen again in my dwindling lifetime.

[The Meal]

When I went out the fourth time to snowblow, I watched some jerk in a minivan go straight into the bank in front of our house. So I bounded through the snow to give him a push. As I approached he (a 50-something year old dude) was already giving his spiel through his open window: "I was just trying to knock down the banks for everyone. I've got all wheel drive. These are new tires!" Okay, buddy, straighten out your tires and I'll give you a push. I got to the front of his van and I couldn't even see his bumper he was dug in so far. So I stepped back and assessed. He was so high-centered that three of us couldn't budge him an inch. Fortunately some kindly dude in a Jeep with a tow strap came along and yanked this mf'er out.

I was totally eager to help someone who was having a bad day, but not someone who was joyriding his all-wheel drive minivan in the first real snowstorm he'd ever seen in his life. "These are new tires!" is going to be some sort of a new catchphrase around here.

[TheMix]

My neighbor across the street shoveled the entrance to his driveway and made it almost to the main street. Then got stuck. I went over to see what's up. His reasoning? First, he'd never gotten that vehicle stuck before. Great logic there. Second? He was out of beer. That was his reason for driving in a snowstorm. Also, when he got out of the vehicle, he already had a beer in his hand. He was going to dig out, but someone came by on the main road and gave him a yank.

Oh. And it's worth mentioning that the liquor store is less than a half-mile away.

[naednek]

Here are some of our photos and videos:

I don't know if work is blocking the pictures, or you trying to be funny, because all I see is white in all 6 photos

Either way it gave me a laugh

[naednek]

well after my post the pictures appeared. Still had a nice laugh of seeing your descriptions and all white background

[The Meal]

Ken!