December 2009 Archives

The plow guys did indeed come back yesterday as promised. It turns out that what was called for was a front loader:

It is not the greatest photo, because I was trying to be unobtrusive about taking it. They spent a couple of hours making sure the driveway was good and clear. Very thorough and nice guys. They created some impressive piles of snow, too.

Driveway before plowing:

And after plowing (plus piles of snow):

And because my brother requested photos, here are a few more.

Seamus in the snow
This first one is Seamus dragging me back into the house, having had enough of the too-deep snow:

And this is Seamus in the too-deep snow:

The lovely sunset (note that the herb garden in front of the shed has disappeared:

Let us also celebrate that this is the first morning a week where I didn't get up and run for the cold medicine because I woke up feeling like I was going to die. I still need decongesting, but I think I may finally be on the mend.

When last we spoke, I believe I was bitching about snow and my driveway. Well, since then Mother Nature and my driveway decided they'd give me something to really cry about. As all the world probably knows by now, DC got hit by a huge snow storm this weekend. Here on the side of the mountain, we got just under two feet. Two feet! I can think of maybe three other snowstorms in my life where we got this much snow. The snow is up to poor Seamus' head!

After the Penguins vs. the snowy driveway round one went to the snow, we tried to contact the neighbors with whom we share our driveway to find out what the deal was with getting the driveway plowed. This was actually harder than you might think, because they get up leave the house at 4 am. I am sleeping at 4 am. But yesterday they were trapped here in the snow just like us, so I walked over and chatted with them. No problem, my neighbor said. We'd split the cost. He'd called his plow guy, and it turned out that he was retired, but he recommended a replacement. The replacement guy said to give him a call on Sunday and he'd come by. Easy peasy, right?

Wrong. First of all, the guy was supposed to be available early in the day, and then it was 2:30, and then he actually got here about 3:45. But his rates seemed reasonable and we all figured he'd zip up and down the main driveway a couple of times, then do where ours branches off, and everyone would be happy.

Yeah. He got stuck at the bottom of the driveway on our neighbor's side. Hever even got to our driveway. His truck couldn't make it back up the hill. So we started trying to clear the steepest part with our shovels, hoping that would help. He called in a friend with a slightly newer, bigger truck, hoping he could help. The friend parked at the top of the drive and walked down.the drive, saying he wasn't sure he could make it either. We kept shoveling snow. After a lot of manly conversating, complete with the removal of caps, and the shoving of hands in pockets, the smoking of cigarettes, and some muttering, guy #2 agreed to try to clear some of the higher part of the driveway down to the blacktop. We kept on shoveling.

Truck #2 got stuck on the way down the hill. I'm not kidding! My driveway managed to defeat two experienced guys with big pickup trucks and plow blades. After even more shoveling and a discussion of what sort of vehicle would be right for the job (the odds-on favorite was some sort of John Deere four wheel drive tractor), they called in a third guy to help get the second truck unstuck. He was a fireman, and as firemen do, he took care of business. He had an enormous pickup and backed that thing down the driveway, hooked a chain up to truck #2 and hauled it out of the snow and right back up to the road. Guy #1 actually left his truck at my neighbor's house. They are coming back in the morning with something they swear will do the job. I sure hope so.

In other (related) news, I think we're getting a snowblower.

Behold the snow back when I thought it was pretty instead of annoying. In fact, it is snowing again right now, when the weather guy said we'd get only rain tonight. He said it while I was in the car driving home an hour and a half ago. And yet my front walk is now covered with a fresh dusting of snow.

The front yard, including said walk and the unmelting driveway of doom:

The snowy valley. I wish I could take a photo that did the view justice:

My back yard, complete with shed and snowy garden of herbs and mystery plants:

And just because I think he's the sweetest, cutest beagle in the world:

We love the new house. I try not to gush about it because I think that would get old fast, but yeah, this is the right place for us. I still half expect to find some hideous defect, because it shocks me that this place was in our price range. Thankfully, thus far, we do not appear to be living on an Indian burial ground, nor are we suddenly in the flight path for an airport or next to where they are going to build a highway.

However, now that we've had our first snow, it turns out that our lovely, long, steep, tree-lined driveway does not get enough sun to melt. It snowed on Saturday. We popped out early to get our Christmas tree, and then I spent a wonderful relaxing day baking and watching it snow. We had a fire in the fireplace and there was a Harry Potter movie marathon on TV. I didn't have anywhere I had to go, and the snow turned my already picturesque neighborhood into something out of a Currier and Ives print.

I didn't have to go anywhere on Sunday, either. I'd gotten the lights on the tree on Saturday, but stringing the lights always makes me cranky, so I'd decided to take a break before starting on the ornaments. So on Sunday I decorated the tree and did stuff around the house. There was a Lord of the Rings marathon on TV. I didn't actually mean to watch the whole thing, but I caught most of it as I drifted in and out of the living room between tasks. I love those movies, but I have to admit that sometimes the Frodo bits annoy me. Ok, we get it. Hobbits are innocent and carrying the ring is a burden, and it is precious to Gollum. When it comes to hobbits, I much prefer Merry and Pippin.

And then Monday arrived. I had the day off of work and was planning to go do some Christmas shopping. My driveway had other plans for me though. It took two bags of salt and two hours of shoveling to get the driveway to the point where you could get a car up it. It took another hour to get it cleared to the point where it felt truly safe to drive on. And that was just for our part of the driveway! Our neighbors, clearly more savvy than we are, had cleared the part we share with them on Sunday and left bags of salt along the length of it. Of course, they have an SUV too, so I guess the snow is less of an issue for them. Good thing I didn't have to go to work.

I'd put up photos, but every time I connect the camera to the computer, it freezes. Awesome.