A physical activity I no longer do

[shootingstar]

..and haven't done in the past um...20 yrs.: shovelling snow or chopping ice.

How about you?

I just haven't lived in a townhouse or house at all. Or have lived in a balmier part of Canada.

[spokewench]

Oh, I'll be shoveling for the next couple of days. It started flurrying this morning and is perhaps supposed to dump 10 inches by tomorrow morning.

Flagstaff at 7,000 feet!

[indysteel]

I typcially end up shoveling a fair amount. I can usually work from home when the weather is bad, while my husband typically has to go into his job. So, while he's busy at work, I feel compelled to get as much snow cleared as I physically can so that he doesn't bear the entire burden of it.

And of course when I was still single and owned a home, I cleared a lot of snow. My garage let out onto an alley that was never plowed. There were a few times that I shoveled a good portion of it (at least half of block's worth) simply to get my car out. It would take the better part of a day. A few times, I was able to flag down a private plow for some help--but I couldn't count on that.

[roadie gal]

I haven't shovelled in 6 months. That's a LONG time around here.

It should start snowing any time now...

Here's a picture from last year with the snow up to the second floor of the house. A little later that day I shovelled out 2 second story windows.

[Catrin]

Roadie Gal Wow!

Wow Indy, that is impressive! When I first moved to Indy I rented a house in Speedway for almost 2 years - there was a lot of shoveling...

This might be the year I finally get a shovel for my apartment, especially if it is like last year. The problem is when they plow the drive and the snow gets piled up in front of my car...

Spokewrench, have fun! I love Flagstaff in the summer, haven't seen it in the winter.

[indysteel]

When I lived downtown, there was always this quandry: Do I park on the street and try to shovel my way out when the plows bury the car or do I park in my garage and likely have to shovel my way out? I usually opted for the latter because at least my car wasn't going to get hit there in the meantime? But it was a drag.

For those of you who get far more snow than we do in Indiana, you have my utmost respect. I don't know how you deal with it.

[Catrin]

...
For those of you who get far more snow than we do in Indiana, you have my utmost respect. I don't know how you deal with it.

+100 on this. I am already ready for March...guess my Southern genes are starting to kick in in my old age

[limewave]

For those of you who get far more snow than we do in Indiana, you have my utmost respect. I don't know how you deal with it.

We hibernate.

One thing I did very little of this year and hoping to not do at all again is raking leaves. We have plenty of leaves every fall, but my back is so sore afterwards. I raked for 1 hour this year which resulted in 2 days of immobility.

Previous years I spent two 8-hour days raking. I'm to the point that I would rather skip a hair appointment and eat scrambled eggs a few extra nights a week in order to hire a lawn service.

[jessmarimba]

When I lived downtown, there was always this quandry: Do I park on the street and try to shovel my way out when the plows bury the car or do I park in my garage and likely have to shovel my way out? I usually opted for the latter because at least my car wasn't going to get hit there in the meantime? But it was a drag.

For those of you who get far more snow than we do in Indiana, you have my utmost respect. I don't know how you deal with it.

Ugh. For me downtown, it was "do I park in the street and risk someone sliding into my car, or park in the driveway off the alley and risk not getting out?"

One volvo on the street near me was smashed to half it's size after someone left it parked on the road during our last slew of storms.

But I do all of the shoveling. It's just me in the house, so...
Plus the city requires that we shovel the sidewalks even though they almost never plow our street. Fortunately we haven't had a really deep snow here since I moved.

[Irulan]

Two words.
Snowblower
Skiing.

[spokewench]

Two words.
Snowblower
Skiing.

Snowblowers help - but there is always more shoveling to do. The deck where you can't take a snowblower, around the hot tub, a path in the back yard where there are steps to get to the wood pile, the roof when it is too deep and needs to be shoveled. The ice berm that the snowblower cannot handle; and everything when there is no longer any room to blow snow! shovel, move to another area!

The bottom snow left when the snowblower is done. There is always a bit of a layer that will turn to ice unless you shovel.

[skhill]

Really, I don't mind shoveling snow all that much. But then, we don't get all that much here, and I don't have all that much sidewalk to clear. I try to view it as seasonal strength training...

But today's seasonal strength training is leaf raking. I wish I could give it up! Leaf season is a lot more strenuous than snow shoveling season here.

[lph]

There is always a bit of a layer that will turn to ice unless you shovel.

Indeed. I hate hate hate it when the snowplow guy leaves this thick layer of snow. It's just peachy for maybe two days, then it impacts into rutted ice which is hell to bike over, and it doesn't melt until May. Can't he just plow it properly in the first place!

I like shovelling snow. And I'm good at it too Our driveway is just perfect when I've been at it, not so much when my teenage son does it, though I appreciate the effort!

[Crankin]

I don't shovel a lot. We have an 850 ft. shared driveway on a steep hill that we get plowed. DH has an enormous snowblower for the driveway in front of the house. Sometimes I assist by shoveling around the perimeter where he can't go. But most of the time he does it, as he often goes out at 6 AM after a storm to do the work and he is obsessive about his "work." If he is away, I shovel enough to get my car out. Our streets are plowed very well.
I used to shovel a lot more.

[Irulan]

Snowblowers help - but there is always more shoveling to do. The deck where you can't take a snowblower, around the hot tub, a path in the back yard where there are steps to get to the wood pile, the roof when it is too deep and needs to be shoveled. The ice berm that the snowblower cannot handle; and everything when there is no longer any room to blow snow! shovel, move to another area!

The bottom snow left when the snowblower is done. There is always a bit of a layer that will turn to ice unless you shovel.

Yes, but when you get 8" of Pacific concrete in one dump, a snowblower beats the heck of shoveling a driveway. If you do it right with the temps, the tiny layer left behind will melt during the day. Or throw a little ice melter on it. I keep the drive clear for my UPS driver who loves me for it.

Too deep? Maybe you need a bigger snowblower. We've never regretted our 24" two stage purchase. Sure we have to still clear the hot tub deck and the walk to the door but it's still a no brainer to me.