My lovely black lab can no longer climb over the snow drifts to relieve himself. When we shovel now, we're also flinging his "stuff" over the edge of the driveway, which is now so high we can't see when we're backing out of the driveway. Our road is a busy one for fully loaded logging trucks that barrel along at about 60 mph by the time they get to our house. Our son's assignment for tonight after school is to go lower the piles of snow at the end of the driveway so we can see as we back out. Happy winter!

YUP! My problem is kids at home and DH works from home too. Oy vey, they're driving me INSANE. I'm soooo ready to have them go back to school.

It's not a snow issue here, north of Dallas, but ice. We have about 3 inches on the ground that hasn't budged one bit. When we get the occassional snow storm, the snow is usually gone within a couple of days. It's very unusual for temps to stay so low for an extended period of time. I think were at 19 today, when usually we're in the 40's and 50's around this time. We're expecting snow tonight, so things could get worse before they get better. No snow plows here. The only have the salt/sand trucks that spread it over the bridges and overpasses. I read on the news that somewhere in my state, the demand on the grid was so high, they started rolling blackouts for an hour to 1 million homes. Luckily we weren't affected.

I've only been checking weather.com and the usual news that pops up on my home page, I've been avoiding the TV. I know it's worse everywhere else east and north of us, so I have so much to be thankful for. Saturday we're suppose to get to 45 degrees.

Kathe

So, I just leaned on my office windowsill to look out at something. Immediately there was a big bumping sound from overhead, and the powerlines that attach to the house started swinging. I bounded downstairs. Well, bounded is not exactly the word for what I do with a bum knee, but still.

When I started breathing again, I speculated that a big icicle must've fallen from the roof and hit the lines, coincidentally at the precise moment I was leaning on the windowsill.

While I'm praying my roof can withstand the snow weight, I'm also hoping my ceilings can survive my head, as I jump three feet out of my shoes at every sound.

I'm with Kathe! Thank God school opened today - even if it was delayed!! The kids have had school a total 8 days in the last 3 weeks. This morning when I woke up DD for school, she pitched a fit and announced she wasn't going.
I have never been so grateful to work full-time!!! We were 20 minutes early at the bus stop!

Yesterday, after the ice storm, huge chunks of ice on the sidewalk and those slick patches on street corners. Ice hitting air conditioners as it dropped was scary and one of them just missed me. I've been out every day with the lug-sole boots but ice cleats wouldn't be a bad idea.

I've experienced what you're describing with the sheet of ice -- couldn't even walk out on the driveway and it's very scary.

Fingers crossed for your roof -- smart to have it shoveled but still nervous making. Sounds like you need a St. Bernard rescue -- one with a flask around its neck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ice Cleats

I'm sitting outside in a T shirt watching the new puppy run circles around my barefoot toddler.

So no, not me. I'm just going regular insane.

Here in Western Mass we're having the same snow problems. Snow piles so high you can't see out. I was on vacation for the first 2 weeks of all these storms and came back just in time for the 3rd storm. At that time water started to run down my dining room walls and I have huge water spots on the ceiling. The bathroom pipes upstairs froze and it took the plumber an hour to thaw them out.

Luckily I have a young man who mows my lawn who is local and willing to shovel my roof after each storm and shovel off the back deck for a very reasonable price.

I'm so ready to go back to the summer climate I came from on vacation!!!

I don't think we can take much more of this.

We're now up to 70 roof collapses. That's 30 more reports since this a.m.

Huge, gargantuan bangs are now coming from somewhere. I think it's snow/ice falling from various places--not even necessarily my house. The last one sounded like it came from the neighbors' place, but I can't identify anything.

The only reason people aren't killing each other around here is because they can't get out of their driveways. I think we're going to redefine "March Madness."

That's awful Marcolo, many of those buildings are certainly historic and have stood through many snowstorms.

On Monday here in south Texas we hit 80o and it went downhill after that. We haven't been above freezing since Tuesday afternoon. A full 40 degrees below average. We have a rare prediction of snow this afternoon and overnight. They are expecting up to 3" at Padre Island which is so far south you can see Mexico from there.

Speaking of Mexico, they are providing much needed electricity which protects us from the rolling power outages we had yesterday.

At least we can go outside and I do have a coat and gloves leftover from the years we lived "up north."

My 12 year old chocolate lab is going where ever he can...and yes, when the snow gets blown or shoveled, his "stuff" goes with it. And the yellow snow right by the back door is becoming an issue...but where do I send him? At least he isn't going inside. The snow piles around our backyard rink are taller than my 6 year-old daughter. BUT, I actually drove through a real live puddle today! That means something's melting, which will lead to other issues.

Then I won't tell you how lovely the weather has been here in Northern Cal. It's stories like these that the insanely high real estate prices seem like a good deal.

Stay safe everyone!

Marcolo- I'm with you on the insanity...but it sounds like you still have your sense of humor! I'm south of you on Long Island and kids have had a day off per week for the last 3 weeks. If I liked them that much I would have home schooled them!!! Somebody told me today that we are supposed to get 2 storms per week for the rest of winter! The only thing keeping me sane is internet research for addition/kitchen we are planning for June and lots of junk food...I've gained 5 lbs in 3 weeks!

Up here in Maine, I swear, hand to god, my neighbor just installed a DVD player on his snowblower.

That's how much snow we've got.

So enjoy your piddling dusting down there in MA, Marcolo. ;-)

Circuspeanut -- where do you live? I'm in Machias. Small world!

Here's the kind of uplifting news we're seeing:

Building collapses continue; more storms on horizon
The roofs of buildings around the region continued to collapse today, overburdened by this grueling winter's seemingly endless onslaught of snow, rain, ice, and sleet. And the forecast offers little hope -- the National Weather Service says another storm will hit on Saturday

Perhaps the Red Cross will open mass suicide centers at local high school gyms soon. If the roofs hold up.

OMG Circupeanut your comment about our piddling dusting --I am ROTF! I just loaded pantihose with ice melt to put in my gutter to get the north side melting...ARGGG when I asked my son to climb the ladder and put it up there he looked at me like I had lost the final screw in my head. ;-P I love the snow, but a little break would be a good thing or I will have a 10ft deep swimming pool in my basement at the first thaw/rain. (It DOES make me sick to think of that!) CJC in RI

Sounds like Groundhog Day in your part of the world, Marcolo! Hang in there!

cjc - I did the same pantyhose trick - I keep hearing about that, but never have in years past. Where did that come from all of a sudden?

Snow? Is that that white stuff? Okay. Just kidding. Haven't had any here, but they say we may get some this year, maybe tomorrow. South central Texas. Wind chill was 17 last night. Does that count for any sympathy points?

I know, prill. There's a run on panty hose, um, so to speak. Also snow rakes. Never heard of them before. Now you can trade them for sex and nice cars.

Last night, I noticed that the c-top near my range was abnormally wet. Puzzled by what I was seeing, but opting for the avoidance route, I explained to myself that I had probably spilled something and hadn't noticed when I did it. I then simply wiped things up and went to bed. This morning, however, I noticed a pool of water on my range burners. Staring longer, I realized the whole area near the left side of my c-tops and range was wet, including the backsplash and the cab adjacent to the hood. Then, I looked up at my ceiling and noticed that it was beginning to alligator in some areas near the hood. Uh oh. The thing I was trying hard not to see was now unmistakeable: my vent hood is leaking!

With a big sigh, I called my roofer. He explained to me that what was happening is that the downspout on the roof had frozen and that there was no where for the melting ice to go. So, it was pooling near the vent hood and had probably found some teeny tiny hole in the flashing to leak into. Chances are the flaw in the flashing has been there since the install over 2 years ago but it has never mattered before now. (That's because we've not had a winter of incessant snow storms like the one we're having this year. Sigh.) At any rate, since he is currently recovering from a torn rotator cup, he could not come and help me out with this today. Instead, he advised me to try and clear as much snow and ice off my roof as possible and then to try and clear the ice from the downspout by flooding it with boiling water. (This is a NYC rowhouse with a flat roof, btw).

As I write this, I have just come back from having spent a few hours trying to clear snow off my roof. Me. A candidate for AARP and Weight Watchers membership all in one! The God-saving part of all this is that my lovely daughter,stopped by on unrelated business. So at least I got some help from her with some of the shoveling as well with shuttling back and forth from the kitchen to me on the roof, bringing me pots of boiling pots to throw into the downspout.

By the time she left, the downspout was still frozen but we had gotten a good deal of the ice and snow off the roof. The vent hood is still leaking a bit -- but not nearly as much as in the past 2 days. The roofer will be here next week. (The painter told me to wait until the spring to worry about repairing the kitchen ceiling). In the interim, I am praying for either very cold weather that will keep the remaining ice and snow on the roof frozen until he gets here -- or extended warmer weather that will be enough to melt the ice in the downspout so that it can run off the roof.

Snowsane? You betcha! Pass the epsom salts and fine spirits please!

marcolo - too funny!

Ya, I bet the liquor stores are doing a booming business.

@marthavila: oh my! i wouldn't even know how to get up on a roof and shovel snow! at least it's a flat roof... scary! oh i hope your lovely kitchen is alright, but the main thing is YOU are.

stay safe everyone... and thanks marcolo for keeping/sharing your sense of humor. (you aren't in your new house yet, or are you?!)

@fori: gotta ask... what kind of puppy? :)

I HATE snow! And we still have to get through Feb and March! I'm wondering what school districts will do to make up the time...I don't ever remember a winter with so many snow days.
Marcolo, that is a scary situation. Please stay safe!

I'm in the Chicago suburbs and we got over 20 inches of snow Tuesday thru Wednesday. Terrible winds made the drifts even higher. Third biggest snowstorm of all time for us. Kids have been off of school two days. Wednesday they were having a blast playing in the snow while I was trying to shovel the 4 foot high drifts that were in the driveway. I had to work last night (I work at a hospital) and I was lucky to make it there. Too cold for the kids to play outside today so they are stir crazy. Today the city snow plow came by and make another 3 foot drift at the end of the driveway. Fortunately I was able to get someone that had a plow on the end of their truck bail me out.

I've lived in the Chicago area my whole life and I keep asking why I'm here. I hate snow! I hope everyone remembers this when they are complaining come July that it's too hot and humid out.

DS lives in the theater district Chicago and worked from home yesterday. He didn't answer my text awhile ago, so not sure if he went into work today. I'm glad I'm in Alabama, but tonight that means the shrubs and trees all have a thin coating of ice. Snow expected on Thursday.

All this global warming is quite bothersome. ;D

Talking about kids being out of school, I remember back in the 70s in Tennessee we had a MONTH of snow days. That is a lot of snow and ice for middle Tennessee! Parents both worked, so us kids just drove each other crazy. In order to made up all of those days, we went to school on SATURDAYS!!! Oh, the inhumanity of it.

Marcolo....

I would recommend wearing a very padded hat just in case. ;-P

In all seriousness, do you have a bug-out-pack you can grab in case you have to ditch? ... A change of clothes, a few snacks, etc.? It might be a good thing to have handy to grab. Also, I'd make sure that your wallet, etc. are in your shoes so when you go to grab them you get the critical stuff also in one swoop. Sleeping with a wallet in your pocket won't be too comfy...providing you manage to go to sleep tonight.

Pepper
~ Waiting for the snow to happen.

Somebody on my local Freecycle posted that he was giving away snow. I'd PAY somebody to take mine. Oh wait, I did that. My plow guy is getting rich.

Northern NJ hasn't been hit as much as our neighbors to the north, but this winter has been brutal. Since the first storm dumped 24" on Dec 26-27th, it has been relentless. There is nowhere left to throw snow when shoveling. I'm thankful that I live on a small dead-end street because I can't see over the piles either.

My family room addition has a shed roof and I worry about the weight. Its not a flat roof, but doesn't have enough of a pitch for shingles. We tried to buy a roof rake this past weekend, but they are sold out. So I worry instead. Yesterday I finished shoveling off the deck and tried to reach up with the shovel to remove whatever snow I could from the gutters. I hear water running though the downspouts but the amount of snow of the roof doesn't appear to be lessening. I can't believe they are saying we will get more 'wintry mix' over the weekend. I would so much rather have just snow than the heavy, icy rain.

Good news, I have plenty of wine in the house to help calm my aching arms and back and to help me sleep at night.

We had ice on the front porch steps this AM when I went out to get the paper...slipped but caught myself before I fell. Black ice is a b^&*(.

We have icicles hanging from the house and carport but they are only 3 " long. We will have freezing every night but 40's in the day for the rest of the week but the high today was only 34.

This is central AL and we have had cold in the past but our usage of natural gas for heat was exactly a factor of 2 greater from Dec to Jan.

We usually have a good size snow in March so I don't think we have seen the last of Winter. I personally think they should barbq the Ground Hog....we have some great sauces here in the South.

I hope all of you stay safe ...and Martha STAY OFF OF THE ROOF !!! I have a friend in Chicago and he called a local liquor store to ask them to deliver and they told him " mid May " LOL. Good Luck. c

Marcolo -

Done the roof shoveling thing - hubby does the 2 flat roofs, and we hired someone last week to do the big main roof

- Collateral damage - heavy packed snow near foundation, on some bushes - I had to shovel out the bushes & started digging out the foundation

- Kiddies - yes, they just do the fingers crossed, ice in the toilet & wear pj's inside out to get another snow day

Me -
Oh, I work in that hospital where the 'snowsane' people go- I've been getting to my shifts, one scary trip - mostly due to visibility (or lack thereof)

I just keep thinking of ALL the collateral damage this winter will bring

- Damage to roads, driveways
- Damage to cars
- Loss of days at school
- Damage to roofs, paint, stain on exterior of homes
- Damage to landscaping
- lost time at work
- lost of business

Oh, yes, this is what I have been preparing for THE FLOODING That will come when these snow mountains melt!
Sumps, generators, back ups
I even had an electrician install a transfer switch on the furnace so if/when we lose power I can hook it up to the generator. Yep, if I can power my heat & sump I am all set!

- oh and Loss of sanity - Oh, but that is good business for me!

When I start feeling mother nature has got the better of me - I think about those that have suffered Hurricanes, tsunami's, and the likes - it humbles me.

- When the temps drop into the single digits & I can not for the life of me imagine what it would be like to spend a single night (or day) as a homeless person.

- Everything has a beginning and end.

Keep the faith!

In all seriousness, do you have a bug-out-pack you can grab in case you have to ditch? ... A change of clothes, a few snacks, etc.?

Good idea. But at first, by "bug-out-pack," I thought you meant a paper bag full of Xanex. Cause that would be handy, too.

Governor is now telling everyone to "watch their roofs." OK. I'll watch it. Can't do anything about it, since roofers don't even return calls anymore, but I'll watch it.

Oh, wait, I can't watch the roof after all. I still can't leave the house. The person who was supposed to bring me ice melt "forgot." And now there's no salt to be had--at Home Depot, Target, CVS, Shaw's, or anywhere.

The weather report this morning was so pathetic. I watch a local cable-only channel because there's a weatherman I really like. Kind of nerdy, but I trust nerds more, you know? His forecasts are pretty good, he clearly loves the science and really tries to explain things so you can understand what to expect.

Well, they moved him to a later time, so the morning weather was read by a pair of breast implants with a blow dryer. She has a relentlessly chirpy delivery no matter what she is reporting. (Big smile) "Another roof collapsed in J.P. today!" (Big smile). Her descriptions of the weather is vague and useless, probably because she doesn't understand what she's doing. My favorite: "Some of us will get heavy, plowable snow on Saturday!" Some of us? Um, which of us? That would be useful to know. Those of us whose names begin with the letter "M," perhaps? Those of us with brown eyes? WHO THE EFF IS GETTING SNOW THIS WEEKEND YOU COLLAGEN-INJECTED IMEBECILE?

I think "some of us" are going to get pitched upside down in a snowbank in the parking lot coming out of work tonight. I can't say whether it's people who work in cable TV, but I can say it's "some" of us.

Stop the snowsanity.

We have snow here in the burbs of Denver but the thermometer made it to a balmy 30 degrees today so at least we've climbed out of the negative temps. We have about 3 or 4 inches of snow today and had a couple of inches 2 days ago. We've actually not had as much snow as usual this winter although the mountains are having a banner year of snow. We were in Vail a week ago and they were shoveling show off the roofs of the main street. My cousin in Detroit says they're having a winter like we used to have when we were kids--lots of snow.

I hope everyone stays safe and roofs remain intact. Enjoy a hot chocolate or hot toddy and curl up by the fire.

jejvtr said it best.

When I start feeling mother nature has got the better of me - I think about those that have suffered Hurricanes, tsunami's, and the likes - it humbles me.

- When the temps drop into the single digits & I can not for the life of me imagine what it would be like to spend a single night (or day) as a homeless person.

Marcolo, as I've told you before: you ought to be in the comedy business 'cause your lines are the best! Your description of what I know to be seriously difficult challenges are still generous enough to give us all a hearty laugh. Thank you! Hang in there, stay warm and safe. And, by all means, keep the roof over your head! :-)

Count me in that number~~ Here is Kansas, we have not have it nearly as bad as some of you, but we have had more than our share of ice/snow/cold/wind!!! I hope that "official groundhog" is right this time...I am so ready for spring!!

katsmat~~ I loved that church sign....was good for a laugh~~

You all take care, stay warm and safe~~~

jejvtr, I think you nailed it. Not everyone understands what is going on here in New England. This isn't just another boring day in front of the TV, and the annoyance of shoveling or entertaining the kids. It is like a hurricane, except in slow motion.

School roofs are now collapsing, sometimes with kids still in them (so far, luckily no injuries). Residential roofs are starting to fail, and for those who don't know, a failed roof is not just a hole in a roof--a roof ties a building together, so the entire structure collapses and pancakes in a matter of seconds. The Red Cross is running out of blood, what with all the road accidents and cancelled donor days.

It's only February, and we've had 70" of snow. What people don't realize is that most of it is still on the roofs and the ground, thanks to historically cold weather. And two more storms are coming next week--possibly three. Our houses and businesses are not built to stand up to this, and cannot possibly support another two feet of snow. Chicago's 20" is just not in the same ballpark--we've had that storm seven times over, and more.

Unless the weather pattern changes soon, spring will bring massive property damage, as well as injuries and fatalities. A lot of people are going to lose their homes, and some may lose more. It's a nightmare.

There was a segment on the news tonight about you guys. I think they said a foot of snow on the roof weighed 2 tons??? Is that right? My Iowa winter hasn't been nearly as bad this year as lots of winters but I do feel for you guys getting it over and over. My winter of 2000-2001 was like that. Our country roads were more like single lane tunnels. If you met someone one of you had to back up until there was enough space to pass. And that was the winter I decided I would be finding my own farm where I would keep my horses and barn cats instead of traveling 6 miles in the dark before the plows were out to take care of them. Twice a day. No matter the weather. And so I did. It took 4 years to find the right place. And here I am! Stress eliminated!

They calculated that any Bostonian who shoveled out only a single parking space--not a whole driveway, mind, just the space to fit a car--has already shoveled over one ton of snow.

We are now up to about 100 building collapses. The first were all old or poorly maintained flat-roofed commercial dumps. Then newer Walmarts started showing cracks. Then entire school districts were closed because parts of school roofs were coming down. Now residential, gabled roofs are collapsing.

We are getting a small storm tomorrow, another Monday-Tuesday, and another major storm Thursday. We've gone from one storm a week to three a week. The governor is telling people to shovel their roofs, but no roofers answer their phones any more; if you do get through, there are now wait lists. The news also reports people who have had heart attacks or serious injuries trying to shovel their roofs on their own.

Last night, I heard three loud cracks on my house at separate times, but we can't find anything wrong.

Cheers!

It is like a hurricane, except in slow motion.

oh wow, what do elderly people do, who cannot shovel snow?

this is very serious and scary...

i'm thinking of all you.

marcolo & co. please keep us posted on how you are doing.

I read these posts and sympathise with you as I am a native Californian and we don't get the extremely cold "seasons". We are such "pansies" here - when we get a hard "drizzle" the news media panics everyone about the dangerously slippery roads, landslides, blah, blah, blah. A little bit of rain falls and everyone panics! We don't even have a clue as to what bad weather conditions are - with regard to "dangerous" weather of any kind. Now, we do have some earthquakes once in awhile. How excited I would be to look out my window and see everything covered in snow. I think it would be a whole new mind set to need to plan ahead for food etc. to make sure there would be enough supplies (in case you could not get out on the road etc). I guess we all get used to our surroundings and necessary measures we have to take. I love to visit places with cold weather - it seems exciting as it is not the "norm" here, however I always look forward to going back home to "thaw".

I dont have it as bad as many of you but I think this is possibly one of the worst winters I can remember ( grew up in NYC and now in Central NJ). I hate it,
and i keep thinking how I am really not supposed to be living in this climate. Fact.