The Elysian Fields

With more threatening of the coming snowpocalypse by the media, I thought it would only be fitting to (almost) wrap up the heavy metal humor with Flight Of The Skajaquada, a heroic tale of psuedo-but-not-really-prog from Cereal Killer Soundtrack, in which an evil snowman holds upstate New York hostage with cold and blizzards.

From what some people in that area have said, this is a common occurrence. =)

It's time to grab your magic shovel...



To wrap up, I'm going to paraphrase (or at least allude to, because I don't remember the exact wording) what a member of Green Jellÿ once said: "We'd be nothing if it wasn't for latex, Papier-mâché, chicken wire, and couch cushions."

We got 2-3", I plowed, we got 2-3" more, plowed again; got back from the client sites after dark, so I just did one pass up the driveway to clear off the inch or so of ice and frozen rain. Finished it off today. Fun! =)



( A few more under the cut... )

See icon.

Yep, I hooked up the plow, turned the truck around to prep it for a straight shot down the driveway, and, if anything, the snowfall increased.

We will have plowing today!

And, if the weather folks are right ~ which they're not, by the way: this light fluffy powder we're getting is not a 100% chance of ice pellets ~ then this will last for three days. And then another storm Wednesday.

Already there's about an inch or so... and they're now calling for 8-12 inches by tomorrow morning...

The scene looks much better than it does in this picture from last week:



=)

re: this

Got it!

Thanks!

Rest of Today: Snow and rain. Snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches with up to 6 inches in the higher elevations. Windy with highs in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow likely in the evening...then a chance of rain and snow showers after midnight. Total snow accumulation of 6 to 12 inches in the highest elevations with less elsewhere. Windy with lows in the upper 20s. West winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Won't get the lights done, but at least I should be able to get the plow ready for action... just in case any of this actually happens and sticks around. Weak pun intended.

While parts of the country are getting hammered - 20" at a shot - this is only the second real, measurable snow since January 1st. That first time was barely enough to plow, this was a bit more but still just the minor league.

Justin and I went out last night and plowed the nature center. Had a chance to speak to one of the residents (a number of homes are off of the two LGNC-owned dirt roads) who usually plows, and he was surprised that the LGNC was having someone plow, but happy for any help I could give. Eases their burden - although it seems the two guys who plow both live off the same flat road, not off the hill that leads up to the parking lot. That latter part is my big focus.

Anyway, discoveries last night: If someone was to read my fortune, they'd very likely find that Everblades are likely to be in my future. The stuff clung to the wiper blades, and we had to stop several times to scrape the blades clear so we could see. Not like the tunnel-effect of the snow wasn't enough to reduce visibility to maybe two feet in front of the plow. Additional lights for the front might also be in order - now I know why the HID lights are $3000. Probably worth it. I suppose I'll go for two additional lights instead of replacing the plow lights. The work lights also need to go up ASAP, because backing up was almost blind, which is not Of The Good.

Today, Justin started the vehicles and then headed to class. I cleared them, which was easy on account of the rain, and annoying on account of the rain - soaking my jacket so much that it puddled when I set my arm on the center console! I backed the truck down, then took the two cars (or car and small SUV, really) down. One pass up the driveway with the V, and then angled to the right to clear the right most edge, and two passes as a scoop to clear the rest. Went much faster than the first time, of course.

Went back to the nature center and cleared the lot again, as well as one V pass down the hill. I could have skimmed the top off the stuff on the flat road, but it was fairly clear, and the weight of the ice brought some evergreens very low. I didn't want them to catch in the ladder rack and break or tangle. Some of them were so low, they'd catch in the grill...

So that's that. Even remembered to stop and get milk on the way home. After circling once. =)

Justin and I are preparing for our annual pilgrimage along the Forest, through Fairyland, and Beyond and Back Again!

Yep, it's almost time to go pick up the New Year Chinese feast (as opposed to the Chinese New Year feast, which we don't often celebrate, but we probably should...)

As for the updatia bit, we got a ton of snow (or 5", which ever comes first), and me without my plow. Snow forecasted for tomorrow, too. Plow forecasted for Wednesday, and sunny after that...

Brandon took his first solo sled ride - the soft yet heavy stuff slowed him to a sedate pace. Very entertaining to watch him sitting still so long... all the way down the front lawn. He sat upright and serious and, although I only saw him from the back, I'm almost positive he didn't even blink for the entire ride.

Rachel built a real, live, actual snowman - one of the life-sized guys - with some assistance from Mr. B. Deb took some shots, and I got to see them, but most others won't because she never posts anything. =(

Justin and I cleared the driveway - he cleared the walk and around the cars (and the cars themselves) and I took care of the rest, using the DR with the plow. It did a great job, pushing glaciers in front of it. Snowblowers around me were choking on the stuff, so it's probably a good thing the chain had snapped a few weeks back and I didn't even attempt it. First time I used the plow on snow (used it on the gravel to get that in place Autumn 2006) and I liked it. Took longer than the Boss will when it's on the truck, of course, but nice nonetheless.

Anywho, off I go... time to get dinner!

First, Justin and I did stuff and some top sekrity type stuff, and then, on Sunday, we didn't do stuff. But I did excerise the camera, and I even took it outside. On to the porch. Photographic evidence might be able to be found here and here.

I say "might" because LJ seems a bit iffy today.

For the record, snow continued to fall, and sometime overnight the driveway and roads were lost. There looked to be a good 6-8" on the back deck rails - heavy, wet snow packed down nice and tight. These rails were cleared yesterday while the kids were out playing. They had 3-4" of snow on them at the time.

Although the house had power when I left, it doesn't now, and I haven't heard from them yet. Rachel had a two hour delay, although districts just up the road were closed.

Woke up bright and early and, with Justin's help, twenty one trees were planted. Well, eleven trees and ten shrubs. To be even more specific, 5 hazels, 5 winterberry holly, and 11 hemlock.

We found a few spots where the ground was still frozen - despite a sloppy, muddy, clay surface. Several locations for hazels were left as false starts - two not even deep enough to be noticeable due to ice, and one because we found a rock that has a face of at least 2'x2'. At least that's about the size of the hole before we gave up, and we never found even one single edge of the rock. We unearthed a couple other good sized rocks, added to the foundation border in front of the kiwi trellis, and one monster. We needed to get the 6' bar out to pry that sucker from the ground - and it was only about a foot in diameter and two feet long.

It's raining now so that should help get those guys off to a good start.

After a few days that topped sixty degrees and rain - heavy at times - there's still quite a few spots with snow, but it is starting to fade away. The Rachel River is running wild and free, even under the 4-6' of snow plowed over it just north of our driveway.

In other news, the guitar lesson with the new student went well today. Slightly more details over on the musical blog (aka MySpace).