Then the snow started. I just wanted to thank Fedex for putting a paper mailer out when it was snowing and/or raining all day. I had to open it in the sink.
It had my park pass for the year though, which thankfully can get wet safely.
Then came the snow. And more snow. With a side of snow. And lastly for dessert some snow. I didn't measure it with a tape measure, but when I started the final clearing we were up to 32", and it looked like I drove over about 8" this morning; the bottom of my truck dragged in a few spots.
This was taken during the second clearing. I ended up clearing three times yesterday, and will need to do another tonight when I get home. The inlet on my snowblower is about 24" tall, and there was only a couple of inches left before the storm started. That was before the third clearing, which was another almost foot, and then the 8" overnight.
I ended up stopping the third clearing when I got to a portion that I hadn't been actively clearing, the turn around spot. I ended up jamming up the snowblower and killing it running it into snow that went directly into the chute, and I haven't able to clear it out enough to not stall. Oops. I tried to finish it with the tractor, but my bucket doesn't raise enough, so how I clear it is still a TBD. For now, I have to back out the entire length of my driveway.
As I ran out of daylight, I took a look around. I lost a tree up near the shed, but I can't get up there to see if it hit the shed.
I was a little worried about how much snow was on the roofs. The carport held up for the most part, though the metal is clearly flexing at the edge of the overhang. This was taken before the last 8" fell, but the structure is looking good.
I ended up raking some off the house. My power went on and off throughout the day, and the heat from the house is why it sheds snow so well. There is no heat without power though. I also found out that my UPS for my computer has a toasted battery in it.
Because I ended up doing it multiple times, all my heavy gear got wet. Very wet. By the end of the third clearing, the only thing dry were my feet courtesy of the mickeys. Everything else had completely soaked through. I tried to dry some of the stuff on the fan before I lost power again.
I lost power for good between midnight and 1AM this morning. I woke up around 4AM, slightly chilly. I had to grab another blanket.
I decided to get an early start despite being tired though. I tried to walk up to the shed to get my generator cord and the little propane heater I have. I didn't get far before I said screw it, I will buy another cord. Even with snowshoes on I was sinking several feet. When one of the snowshoes fell off, I still sank up to my knees in the compacted part. The tractor does make a pretty good portable flood light though.
Since I didn't have power nor could I get the generator hooked up, I used an alternative method for warmth and light. I still had the weird mushroom shaped candle that Pat gave me, and I just boiled a some water on the stove to put out some heat. The benefit of a gas stove; all you need is a match to light it. It at least got it up to 60 before I went in to work. It isn't supposed to be horribly cold today, so I am hopeful that I won't have problems with pipes freezing.
On the drive in, most of the roads weren't bad once I got out of Sullivan. I saw literally dozens of trees down on the lines though, and I even saw a few power poles that were literally snapped in half. I am guessing it might be a while before my power is restored. This was one of the spots where the trees had ripped the wires off the poles.
I will probably be cleaning this up for the rest of the week. I will at least need to get my snowblower running again so I can snowblow the driveway again. Then take the tractor and finish the areas that the snowblower won't do.
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