Winter getting a good early start.

[onewhippedpuppy]

John, a warm beverage after shoveling snow? That’s the time for an ice cold BEER!

[Brian 162]

Nice sunny but cold day (minus 16 C). Cleared snow bank the city plow left at the foot of my neighbour’s driveway and my driveway.
Removed a foot of snow from the canopy cover over our rear deck.
Some overhanging snow from the roof I’m going to tackle tomorrow.

[stevej37]

Our high for today is supposed to be 12F....and that's what it is right now.
2-3 inches of more snow also for today.

[rfuerst911sc]

Woke up to 11 degrees with a " feels like " of 3 , damn cold for Georgia . Supposed to warm up to low 40's for a few days then another cold blast for the weekend . At least the powers on

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Our high for today is supposed to be 12F....and that's what it is right now.
2-3 inches of more snow also for today.

Call yer sis and complain to her

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by KFC911

Call yer sis and complain to her

She sent me a message yesterday and said it's mid 30's and some freezing rain. She didn't know if she dared to go out shopping.
She lives almost in the RMNP

I didn't have much sympathy.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by stevej37

She sent me a message yesterday and said it's mid 30's and some freezing rain. She didn't know if she dared to go out shopping.
She lives almost in the RMNP

I didn't have much sympathy.

RMNP? I thought she lived in western God's Country ... east of the Tennessee heathens and other snake worshippers?

[stevej37]

^^^ She lives less than a half hour south of Cherokee
Sorry, I misnamed the SMNP....it's too early.

[wdfifteen]

Between the tractor and the snowblower, I spent 6 hours moving snow yesterday. We didn't have much wind, so it was a pretty consistent 14-16 inches deep everywhere. The high temperature was 9*F.

I really screwed up the 300-foot driveway - the whole 300 feet of it. My little Kubota couldn't push itself through the snow and drag the snow blade along the ground at the same time, so I had to peel the snow down about 6" at a time. I couldn't see the edges of the drive, of course. It just looked like an open field of snow. I misjudged the location of the driveway and managed to pile the snow from one half of the drive on top of the snow on other half of the drive, so I had to move it twice, and the second time it was twice as deep!
The tractor isn't any good on sidewalks, etc so I had to use the snowblower. They both have advantages and disadvantages. The tractor moves snow faster, but you need the differential lock in the snow. The dif lock is a pedal you push straight down on hard with your left heel. It's designed to be used intermittently, but in snow you need it constantly. After four hours of standing on that pedal, the muscles in my left butt and thigh feel like I've been pounding them with a hammer. The snow blower has it's own challenge. Snow blows in your face and into all the folds of your clothes. I can think I'm all bundled up, but the snowblower inevitably finds a flaw in my bundling plan and forces snow straight to my skin. And my fingers get a lot colder when using the snowblower. I don't know why. It's a miserable experience.
But hey, I got outside, got some fresh air, did some physical labor for the first time in a month, so it ain't bad at all.

[KFC911]

^^^^ Mother Nature doesn't like it when ya don't do nuthin' all day and then brag about it here ... just so ya know .

It's a brand new driveway "snow track" tho' ... just another rookie learning mistake...

[masraum]

Originally Posted by john70t

For (you) old fogeys I'd suggest addressing the snow problem while still it's light powder.

Always push downhill.
Use a lightweight plastic shovel to take the small bites out of the mountain sides whenever lifting. Small bites.
Break and sit with warm drink whenever tired.

Lightweight and pretty strong plastic despite no metal edge.
I use soft flappy arms and the first held up pretty well one season. Bought another for a neighbor.
Two sides equate to no wood spear in the groin when hitting a patch of ice.

Drink water before. Maybe a potassium and magnesium and D3 pill. A little VitC never hurt nothing. May have to piss more.

https://russopower.com/products/garant-36-pusher-snow-shovel-with-u-handle

Absolutely! I've heard that there are tons of heart attacks and deaths in the aftermath of snow storms because shoveling snow is more strenuous than a lot of folks are used to or should be doing.

Before as warmup and after:. Homedics 2-point meat tenderizer.
Both of mine lasted decades. ~$40
I also use this on my skull and across the nose on the maxilla to drain the cranial sinuses. Much sneezing and spitting after.

That's interesting. So you use a massager on your face, and that causes your sinuses to drain. Wow!

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

AI've heard that there are tons of heart attacks and deaths in the aftermath of snow storms because shoveling snow is more strenuous than a lot of folks are used to or should be doing.

It's strenuous AND your body is less prepared. The cold makes your blood vessels constrict, which raises your blood pressure, which puts stress on your heart above and beyond the stress of extra labor. I saw a guy, probably in his 60s, out shoveling snow with a cigarette in his mouth. Looked like a dead man walking
The lesson here is, if you are going to shovel snow safely, do it in a warmer climate.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

It's strenuous AND your body is less prepared. The cold makes your blood vessels constrict, which raises your blood pressure, which puts stress on your heart above and beyond the stress of extra labor.
The lesson here is, if you are going to shovel snow safely, do it in a warmer climate.

Like south Florida, Cancun, Costa Rica....

Yes, glad that you work smarter not harder, because working smarter is still a beyotch in that weather.

[Seahawk]

You know you have been waiting:

[911 Rod]

I'm getting use to -15C everyday, but this cleaning snow everyday is wearing on me.

[stevej37]

Used the snowblower this am....strong west wind was making it difficult and not fun.

Lake Erie is frozen over.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Between the tractor and the snowblower, I spent 6 hours moving snow yesterday.

What about a SxS with heat? Can also pull a small trailer nimbly. Tools and firewood.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I'm getting use to -15C everyday, but this cleaning snow everyday is wearing on me.

When I was younger, and we lived someplace with cold, snowy winters, we did get used to the cold. I remember at 12-13 going out (just for a few mins on the sidewalk in front of the house) on a sunny day in the mid 30s with shorts and a t-shirt on. It felt relatively comfy. It's 32º here now/today, and if I went out in shorts and a t-shirt, I would not be comfy. Our bodies can get used to temperatures if we have time to acclimate to those temperatures. What sucks for most folks are 40º swings from the norm.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Used the snowblower this am....strong west wind was making it difficult and not fun.

Lake Erie is frozen over.

How often does that happen? Is that a yearly thing or specific to a crazy cold front?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by john70t

What about a SxS with heat? Can also pull a small trailer nimbly. Tools and firewood.

I had a 4 wheeler with a blade on the front, and a tractor with a blade on the back. I really like my current setup - tractor with blade on the back and a bucket on the front. I just wish the bucket was wider.