Saturday, January 21, 2012
Big Niña, fashionably late
La Niña finally got here! After nearly three months of cold but extremely dry weather, we got some serious snow. Remains to be seen if the bitch will stick around, but I still can't complain. She's missed more than half of her opportunities to make trouble and spring isn't far off.
This time I was ready for her. Back in April I had four trees cut down. Mainly to avoid being crushed when the wind blows, but secondarily to clear the back yard for usability, and to clear the roof for easier raking. Branches and trunks had blocked the area so completely that raking was difficult, dangerous and always incomplete.
All the preparation and expense has paid off! Now roof-raking is satisfying. Won't call it fun, but it's become a fast, smooth and systematic task. Nothing to dread, just good exercise. [Note: Raking after an 8-inch snow is probably a bit obsessive, but the expense and trouble of remodeling a room in 2009 taught me a lesson: NEVER AGAIN! No more ice dams!] ¶ 5:37 PM
This time I was ready for her. Back in April I had four trees cut down. Mainly to avoid being crushed when the wind blows, but secondarily to clear the back yard for usability, and to clear the roof for easier raking. Branches and trunks had blocked the area so completely that raking was difficult, dangerous and always incomplete.
All the preparation and expense has paid off! Now roof-raking is satisfying. Won't call it fun, but it's become a fast, smooth and systematic task. Nothing to dread, just good exercise. [Note: Raking after an 8-inch snow is probably a bit obsessive, but the expense and trouble of remodeling a room in 2009 taught me a lesson: NEVER AGAIN! No more ice dams!] ¶ 5:37 PM
