"Actually it's been fun - in a sadistic kind of way. In early Jan when it was warm (60's), the mud was deep and really difficult to get through - even with an all wheel drive Subaru. When the first snow hit, I drove half way into a ditch as I couldn't stop in time to avoid an on coming plow that I couldn't see over the crest of a hill. That was followed by numerous mornings (today included) waking up to temperatures from -10 to -20 below. Fortunately I had the pleasure of stacking 3+ cords of wood that allows the wood stove to run pretty much 24/7. Next is the 12-40 inches of snow tomorrow - I fully expect to lose power. I've yet to go snowboarding, but hope to get out either Fri or Sat, temperatures permitting."The snow did come - I measured 26 inches on the back patio and all the area ski resorts reported 3-4 feet - but the power only went out for a few seconds. What I didn't expect was being stranded until Friday afternoon. The snow was too much for the guy that plows my drive so he had to arrange for a front-end loader to come up and do the heavy lifting. Not surprisingly, getting my driveway clean was not the town's first priority. Only had a bit of shovelling to do - clear out the mailboxes, in front of the woodshed, the patio (so Nuke can get out), access to the propane and in front of the garage where it was too close to the building to plow. Just as I was about to put away the shovel, I heard a rumbling sound and turned to see all the snow on top of the garage fall in front of the garage door. Time to shovel some more. All the while, Nuke stood guard to make sure I wasn't slacking off...
Then, the water drips started inside - nothing terrible, but enough to make you worry if its going to get worse. Especially since the roof was already known to be at the end of its useful life. I drove to pretty much every hardware store in a 30 mile radius in search of a snow rake to clear the snow off the roof, but everyone is sold out until today or tomorrow. So, I get a ladder and a shovel and see how much I can clear that way. Not too much. The roof is too slippery and steep to stand on, so I can only clear what I can reach from the edge. I guess I'll just have to put up with a few drips until I can get the roof replaced in the spring.
But, the reward for putting up with a bit of inconvenience is a great view across the Mad River Valley towards Camel's Hump.
And, in addition to settling in after moving all my furniture up in mid-January,
the new sink and countertops are also in place.
