Posts Tagged ‘snow’
Spring Arrives
It seems fitting to follow that series about winter survival training with a picture of what spring looks like around here this year. Yes, the calendar shows today to be the first day of spring, but winter has not released its grip, and the temperatures in this region are down in the single digits this morning. The trailer load of wood for our paddock fencing is still stuck where they parked it back in January, once again, covered with snow.
I saw a note indicating that 8 of the last 10 Mondays have involved accumulations of snow or sleet that disrupted the morning traffic in our metro area. It turns out, I picked a good day not to drive to work this year, having chosen Mondays as my day off for the 4-day work week.
Many people are contrasting all these snow events with the weather we had last year at this time, when it hit 80°. I’m having problems remembering that.
The snow we received two days ago was followed by significant wind. I did a rather cursory job of plowing, knowing that there would be a fair amount of drifting that would need to be cleaned up eventually. I figured I would do it yesterday when I got home from work, but it was still blowing, and the windchill wouldn’t have been very fun to work in, so I saved it for later today.
I’m hoping that today, it being spring and all, the afternoon will be much more hospitable for being exposed out on the tractor.
Contrasting Commutes
Cyndie’s home, and the squirrels are happy again!
We are just a week away from the vernal equinox and the precipitation has been in classic form for this period. Yesterday morning, I arose in the darkness of the 5 o’clock hour, and immediately perceived that something was happening outside.
I approached the door to the deck outside our bedroom and pulled the trigger on our powerful LED spotlight. Wowza!
It was coming down fast and furious, and there was already a couple of inches accumulated on the railing. I felt like I was in a Star Wars movie and we had just engaged the hyperdrive, with the blowing snow so intense, it was the only thing illuminated.
I was not aware that we might be getting snow, so wasn’t mentally prepared for this. My reaction was to hustle up and start my drive as early as possible, allowing plenty of time to arrive at work, and hopefully getting ahead of the majority of other people that were thinking the same thing as me.
I was the first person on the two roads closest to our house, and struggled to discern where the edges of the pavement were, with the “hyperdrive-effect” still wildly limiting visibility. When I finally reached the main road, I was happy to see two cars pass by, giving me a beacon to follow. It was one of those situations where I would have followed them right into the ditch, if they drove off the road.
We caught up to a long train of vehicles following one extremely cautious driver. It’s unfair that all of us behind this first driver were able to see pretty well, with our train of headlights, and were eager to speed up, yet that person had nothing but darkness and snowflakes out his windshield. Fortunately, it seemed as though everyone was sensitive to that driver’s plight, and we safely held positions and crept along together.
As roads got bigger, and traffic heavier, we passed several cars that had lost control and were now buried in the ditches. The snow continued to come down with incredible intensity. On the main expressway, I approached the first of many sets of flashing red and blue lights of an emergency vehicle that I would encounter on this trip. He was parked behind an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig, and in front of that truck’s headlights rested a vehicle tipped up off its wheels, resting precariously on the driver’s side doors.
Farther on, an overhead sign flashed a warning of a crash in the tunnel: “expect delays.” I plotted my escape from the freeway, and exited downtown to navigate city streets in a route around the tunnel. It was an incredible ordeal to finally arrive at work.
Then, in the classic form of late-winter weather, which I referred to above, I departed the office in the afternoon under sunny skies and above-freezing temperatures. It always amazes me how quickly things change. Roads were almost all dry. Southern facing hills were clear of snow. All of the earlier accumulation of snow, and all the drama from the morning commute, were completely gone. The drive home was trouble-free.
It feels like spring can’t be far off.
Trail Grooming
After the rain that fell over the weekend, we received a nice finishing touch on Sunday night, in the way of 4 inches of new snow. Of course, that meant, once again, I would spend most of Monday (my extra day off from the day-job) plowing and shoveling.
In addition to the driveway and sidewalk projects, I also freshened things up around the house in preparation for Cyndie’s return from Arizona. That doesn’t mean I didn’t squeak in a little time to work on grooming my ski trail in the woods, though.
Grooming in process
Snowshoes and a dragged shovel
…create a nice enough finish
Post Storm
As soon as I got home from work yesterday, I jumped on the tractor to clear the snow from in front of the barn, and around the new loop we have planned. I still haven’t figured out a system I like for plowing that area. It is kind of a quick drop down from the asphalt, and working up to the barn doors limits what can be done. It is also currently made more complicated because of the trailer of fence wood that is still parked there.
I’m not entirely pleased with my results, but I think it will be sufficient. Daytime temperatures will be well above freezing in the coming days, and that will melt much of what I missed.
After a quick bite to eat, I headed back into the woods on my skis. I would be very pleased with myself if I were able to make skiing a daily exercise, but I doubt that will happen. This late in the year isn’t the best time to start a goal like that, anyway. Already, after just 1 day, I recognized very noticeable change in the snow, both out in the open where it is exposed to a lot of sun, and in the woods.
It changes so quick that it makes the beauty and splendor of that just-after snowfall scenery extra special. The slightest breeze, or a clear sunny day, will dry up those tree branches in a blink. It will look like it never even snowed.
I tried packing additional length of trail, but I started just after sunset, and it became increasingly difficult to see as the light grew dim, so I’m not too sure how well I did. It got me to thinking, though, that I should search online to see if there are any suggestions for a way to groom a ski trail using human power. Trying to pack it with skis is just too inefficient.
I always like it when the search box pops up hints that match what you enter, taken from the history of search terms. I started by entering “human powered trail…” and it had one for trail groomers! The internet is a great thing.
There were several styles, but I am particularly intrigued by this one: HPTG. Seems like they’ve thought of everything.
I believe I will be saving up to get me one of those for next year. I have a feeling I am going to enjoy working on making a groomed trail even more than I will skiing on it.
Beautiful Storm
First off, let’s just look at a ‘before’ and ‘after’ view, comparing that shot from Sunday with one I took yesterday afternoon. What a difference a couple of days can make.
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It snowed most of the day yesterday, and I wanted to wait until it stopped before plowing, so that meant I was able to go out and play! First, I hiked on snowshoes for a lap around the entire 20 acres. When I got out to the road, I discovered our mailbox had been knocked off its post by the snowplow. It would take some tools to fix, so for the time being, I laid it sideways on the post, and kept on snowshoeing.
I took a picture of the back of the house, because the snow drifting over the eaves looked cool, and I realized we don’t take many pictures from that vantage point.
While in the woods, I packed down a portion of the trail, with thoughts about the possibility of trying some skiing. I hadn’t gotten around to doing that yet this winter, and the days when that will still be possible are numbered. I was pretty worn out by the time I made it back to the house, but the conditions were so perfect, I decided to get out the skis.
Mind you, I haven’t been on them for a very long time, and I still haven’t quite mastered the art of skate-skiing, so this was a pretty significant undertaking. I’m sure I could have done better if I hadn’t been fatigued, but it was a lot of fun, and I worked to pack down a little more trail with each pass back and forth that I accomplished.
By about 2:30 p.m., the snow had tapered off, and I wanted to get the plowing done before dark, so I ended the ski experiment, before I incapacitated myself with exhaustion. The skiing worked really well, and I’m hoping to get right back out there soon, to make the best of it while it lasts. There’s still plenty more trail yet to be groomed, and I’d like to see how I perform when I am not already worn out.
The plowing turned out to be quite a challenge, because of the amount of snow (I’m guessing 11 inches) and the fact the temperature was warm enough to make it a bit sticky. I wasn’t very successful using the back blade, so I mostly resorted to the bucket. There’s a lot more monkeying around to maneuver to where I can empty the bucket when it gets too overloaded, and I can no longer push it in front of me.
I want to report to my siblings, I was thrown back to wintertime at the old Intervale farm, after I was finished plowing, because I had created giant piled-up snow mounds in a few spots. I visualized my 6-year-old self standing on top of the mountain of snow at the end of that driveway, back in the day.
They must have used a lot bigger tractor than the one I have, though. (Did Dad do that plowing, or someone else?)
Today, it’s back to the day-job for me. No playin’ in the snow till evening. Maybe I’ll do some night skiing in place of my half-hour walk.
Snow Accumulating
Melting snow, slowly making its way off the barn’s steel roof.
I’ve never had much luck interpreting what the weather was going to do next, but I have always had a keen interest in what’s happening in our skies. That is, I’m interested when the weather presents us with something dramatic, like storms, or record-setting extremes. I think meteorology is fascinating.
As a result, and since I am lousy at predicting on my own, I make frequent use of weather web sites. As I write this, we are currently under a winter storm warning, and I have been checking the radar frequently. I started checking on Sunday. The storm was predicted to start in the early morning hours of Monday.
When I was rudely awakened, several times, by the crashing and banging activity of raccoons on the deck in those wee hours of the a.m., I took advantage of the motion-light which had triggered, to find out the deck was still bone dry. That just added suspense to what daylight would reveal, at the break of dawn.
Daylight revealed nothing. Still dry as could be. I checked with folks at work, on the other side of the Twin Cities, and learned they were getting accumulating snow. I immediately checked the radar, to see how far off it was, and what I found was pretty useless. The radar looked as if it was already on top of us and snow was falling over Beldenville. Maybe, but just not at my house. Or, maybe it was one of those situations where snow falling from the clouds was drying up before it could reach the ground. Whatever.
Finally, by 12:10 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I started to see some falling flakes. However, by 12:18 p.m., it had already stopped. By the end of yesterday, all we had received was a trace of snow. What was going on?
I checked Minnesota Public Radio’s Updraft weather blog. The post said they knew all along that the snow accumulation from this event would come in two waves, and the second wave would be the heavier amount. It also indicated that their computer model “insisted” that the area of greatest accumulation remained directly over the metro area, into western Wisconsin.
The prediction for the timing of the heaviest snowfall was now the early morning hours of Tuesday. I made an advance decision to stay home from the day-job today, based on the warning of the ‘insisting’ computer model.
I don’t dare hold ill feelings for the discrepancies between meteorologist’s predictions, and what really takes place. I certainly am not able to do any better.
If all goes as planned (hoped), I will wake up (from a full night’s sleep), to find a massive accumulation of beautiful white snow, and then snuggle back under the covers to sleep in, giving the storm more time to move out of the area, toward the east. The afternoon will then be spent plowing and shoveling.
That is, if the weather doesn’t deviate from what the computer model insists should happen.
Sun Day
Yesterday was a jacket-free day. We’ve experienced multiple days in a row with mid-day temperatures reaching, and often exceeding, the freezing mark. The majority were more cloudy than clear. Over the weekend, the sky was mostly clear, and that sun was out! In fact, my face got a little sunburned, much to my surprise. I started the day splitting wood, and it didn’t feel like I was being exposed enough for it to be an issue. I’m guessing it was the driveway work I moved to next that did me in.
The ice has finally released its grip from our driveway pavement. After last week’s snowfall, we gave in and spread some sand over the ice. Then, our fence contractor ordered delivery of more, from a truck with a salt/sand spreader, to apply a dose in front of the barn where they will be working. The truck driver saw fit to give the entire driveway a covering. I’m not complaining, but in hindsight, it certainly wasn’t necessary. The high temperatures ended up doing most of the work.
Now you can clearly see where the drive to the front of the barn will become a loop.
With the ice gone, we ended up with a driveway covered in an accumulation of sand and salt. I don’t want it all being tracked into the garage, so I got out the push broom to reclaim as much as I could. I swept about half the drive, from the house down. Halfway was enough broom work for one afternoon. Plus, I ran out of buckets to put all the collected sand in.
That brought me to my highlight of the day: I got to play like a kid, making a channel through the snowbank and ice on one side of the driveway, to allow a big puddle that formed in the low spot, to drain. For that being a legitimate issue needing attention, it sure was a fun one to remedy. Breaking ice to make water flow is one of life’s simple pleasures.
And how often do you get to break stuff to fix something?
Fun as all that was, Mother Nature gets the last say, as the prediction for today is 6 to 10″ of new snow by the end of Tuesday. The good thing about late winter or springtime snowfalls, they rarely are followed by severe cold snaps which lock everything into months of being frozen. Temperatures are expected to rise well-above freezing by the end of the week.
Bring it on, I say!
Beautiful Night
It was another beautiful night on our new property. Breathtakingly so. The richness of being here is almost overwhelming sometimes. Walking through our woods on the snow-covered trails, heavily marked by the frequent activity of wildlife, large and small, is an enthralling experience. It is a dance of life. It is a privilege and a pleasure, and a feast for the senses. The crunch of footsteps in the snow makes what seems like a thunderous cacophony announcing my presence, but stopping to stand still, immediately wraps the surroundings in a blanket of comparative silence. Just as quickly, subtle hints of movement can be detected in the increasing darkness of distances. Branches creak in the flow of cooling air, a dog barks somewhere far away, and the sound of a bird brings a sensation that springtime is locked up in everything here, on the verge of bursting forth in all its splendor.
I can’t wait to see it happen, but I wonder if I have the capability to bear it all. Part of me senses the beauty of this place could be incapacitating if I am exposed to too much all at once. There are times I feel like I’d be perfectly content to just sit down in any spot here and do nothing but absorb the surroundings to the fullest until my ultimate demise. It is intoxicating!
Tractor Lesson
Last Saturday, we received a visit from our fence contractor, who came over to shoot some elevations in preparation for locating and creating the new driveway loop, and the hay shed. Work here has been in a holding pattern, due to the weather we keep getting smacked by. When the spring melt happens, we will be subject to road restrictions for gross weight allowances. That means our plan becomes a bit pinched. Can’t start too soon, but don’t want to wait too late.
In a phone conversation discussing the status of our project, Cyndie asked the simple question about getting the dirt/gravel fill we need, delivered early, before road restrictions are in place. That was deemed a good idea (she’s so smart) and triggered some activity. Our contractor showed up with an assistant to take some readings. The first thing that needed to happen was removal of snow, to provide a good base to work from. I offered to try with my tractor, but warned them I was inexperienced, and had already gotten myself stuck on the ice there, multiple times. Luckily, the guy he brought with him was skilled with heavy equipment.
I jumped at the chance to have him use my tractor, and give me some tips. It was a great opportunity to stand by and watch from the ground, beside the tractor, to see how he manipulated it. I don’t get to enjoy that view when I’m the one driving, taking my lessons via trial and error.
I’m pleased to report that my operation is not very far off. Mostly, it looked like he was doing what I do, except he was doing it better than me. He definitely demonstrated a better ‘touch’ on the hydraulic control for the loader bucket. It made me realize that I usually over-correct. His adjustments were much more subtle.
I was happy to discover that there is an indicator that tells me when my bucket is level to the ground. It was always right in front of my view, I just didn’t know what I was looking at, and thus was operating blind.
When he developed a leg cramp, we switched up and I got to mess around on the tractor while they took care getting elevation readings at a few key spots. I got the snow cleared again from the path where the new section of driveway will be.
If the weather holds, we are hoping to see truckloads of gravel dumped for the driveway loop, and the start of progress on the paddock fencing, next week!
Looking at this picture now, I realize the dramatic difference the last 4 days of warm weather have made. Our driveway is mostly melted, and there is a lot more gravel and grass exposed in front of the barn where we cleared the snow Saturday.
You can see in that shot that we put down some sand to break up the skating rink ice that was developing on the driveway. That, and the above-freezing temperatures have helped immensely!
Snow Scene
The April-like snow storm we enjoyed over the past weekend has left things an icy mess around here. Yesterday, the temperature climbed up around the freezing mark, and there was enough sunshine to do some melting on the south-facing side of the house, but to the north, not so much. The driveway is a bit of a skating rink, with some spots of drifted snow mixed in. The snowman we made has already fallen over, pushed down by gale-force winds that followed the storm. I don’t think we’ll get Cyndie’s scarf back until spring.
When I got home yesterday afternoon, I could hear water running from the roof-melt, but I couldn’t see where it was going. There is so much ice built up around the place, that I don’t know how the runoff is draining. Then I noticed the concrete block wall at the bottom of the stairs to the basement, in the garage, is showing signs of being saturated with water. There is a little puddle at the bottom. My fears are realized: the water can’t go anywhere with all the ice buildup, so it is soaking into the foundation. Nice.
I am choosing to dwell on a beautiful moment that I captured at a time when the rain had turned to snow for a bit, and was coming down thick. A couple of cardinals perched to give the scene a little accent. Enjoy.
Relative Something 