Yes, I’m back after a lengthy absence! This Fall was really busy, and then Winter snuck up on me so my blogging was on life support. God willing, I’ll get back to it on a more regular basis!
Since I’m from Texas, when Winter hits in the great white North, I’m often asked how I’m managing. So, to satisfy the curious, here’s the wisdom I’ve gained after three years of Minnesota winters…
1) DO NOT wait over 24 hours to shovel your driveway and sidewalk! The sun does a little thing called ‘melting the snow’ during the day, then at night the colder air freezes it. Then the next batch of snow arrives and you end up with a layer of ice you couldn’t break up with a jack hammer – and it lasts all winter! Shovel often and much to avoid this problem, unless you like ice skating to your front door.
2) DO NOT snow blow your snow in to the street! I had a nice chat with a city snow plow driver this weekend, who politely informed me that to do so risks a $100 fine, a potential accident from passing cars and a lawsuit against my homeowner’s insurance. Snow blow all snow on the existing lawn and not in to the street to avoid any problems with the long arm of the law (and thanks, snow plow guy, for not citing this uninformed Texan!)
3) DO NOT snow rake during high winds! I tried this a few days back, and after I finished, all the snow from the top of my roof got caught up by the wind and fell down to the exact spot I had just raked. Bummer. Wait ’till the wind dies down, and in the mean time, have some hot chocolate.
4) DO NOT over-layer! My first Winter I layered my winter clothes until I looked like a tick about to pop – and I roasted to death! So, when I finally took my multiple layers off, I froze from all the cold air hitting me. Wear a little less layers than you think, especially if you’re snow shoveling. And if you shave your head like me, wear a cotton cap that breathes (no neoprene) so you don’t hold all the heat in – cooking your brain while you shovel and making you think little snowmen are doing a cabaret number in your front lawn (not that this has ever happened to me).
5) DO NOT miss an opportunity for extra refrigeration! Putting ice cream out on the deck is a great way to keep it cold, unless it’s -12 outside, then that’s a bit counterproductive, and you turn your ice cream in to a giant brick that needs to thaw before you can cut in to it. The same rule applies to other items. One thing you never do – leave Cokes out on the deck. They have a unique habit of blowing up after 45 minutes, but they leave a beautiful “frozen pop collage” on your siding.
6) Snowbows are cool! I never saw one until yesterday, but if you have enough wind that kicks up snow in the atmosphere, and the sun melts it just right, you get a rainbow in the dead of Winter – a Snowbow, for lack of a better term. My daughters thought it was really pretty.
Any other tips / observations about Winter that I’m missing? Until next time, stay warm and hold on ’till Spring!
