<p>We don’t have gutters (we have 4’ eaves) so when the ice lets go there’s no stopping it or slowing it down.</p>
<p>InterestedDad, I am laughing at your visual of the Khumbu Ice fall. I love reading about mountaineering (although I could never do it) and have read a few accounts of trips through there. Are you trying to use the grill in this weather? If so, I guess you really can have your own Everest experience right in your own backyard.</p>
<p>Speaking of winter and navigating ice falls, legendary climber George Leigh Mallory (who died on Everest in 1924) wrote this passage about reaching 27,000 feet on Everest during the 1922 Expedition:</p>
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<p>I think I needed a little nip of non-alcoholic brandy after clearing my own icefall!</p>
<p>The snowstorms saved me $2,500 (possibly $3,500 depending on the status of some scholarships). My son had a deadline for an application which would save $2,500 on his spring bill. The application was accepted two days after the deadline but the deadline was moved back three days due to the snowstorms.</p>
<p>BTW, it wasn’t his fault on the application. He has asked for LORs in early December and had commitments from three professors for the LORs. He found out that one of the Professors hadn’t sent it so he worked on that but it meant that his application wouldn’t have been in time.</p>
<p>-3 this morning while waiting for the bus. Hurts to breathe.</p>
<p>I guess the brandy didn’t hurt Mallory in 1922. I usually read the mountaineering books about high altitude in the summer when it is hot hot hot in order to cool off (psychologically). I read Ed Viestur’s book on K2 last summer. I will wait to read more this coming summer. It is too cold now to read about people freezing to death.</p>
<p>BCE - I am happy for you; it is costing us so much between heating bills and snowplowing that I would like to cry - but it wouldn’t help so I won’t.</p>
<p>At least it is supposed to warm up again next week (6 this am here.)</p>
<p>I really sympathize with you all. Our local television stations are showing footage from last year this time when we got 44 inches within 4 days.</p>
<p>Psychologically, I’m seeing the end… just bought two tickets for opening day for the White Sox. Baby steps.</p>
<p>Me too. After looking at the forecast. We should have about 7 days of temperatures near or above freezing. This will take care of the snow and ice on my roof. The nights will still be cold though. Further storms shouldn’t be a problem given the solid warming trend in place.</p>
<p>Biggest headache is driving in the city with the snowbanks taking away half a lane or more.</p>
<p>We are heading for a true thaw, a week above forty, and one day when it is forecasted to hit fifty. I’m getting my shorts out. :)</p>
<p>The back side of my house faces north, and has not melted much yet. Instead, a huge wall of ice has built up along the gutter - it rises about 15" above the gutter, projects 6" out from the edge of the gutter (!), and who knows how far up the roof it goes.</p>
<p>It is supposed to finally warm up this week (50’s! Yay!), and my concern is that a giant piece of ice will break off and fall off the roof…</p>
<p>… right on to the skylights of the rooms below. All five of them. :eek:</p>
<p>This would not be a good thing.</p>
<p>So I spent the afternoon building boxes out of pressure treated lumber, hauled them up the ladder to the roof, and put them upside-down on the skylights. Hopefully it is enough if that ice comes down.</p>
<p>I am so ready for spring.</p>
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<p>We got up to mid 40s today and I did see people in shorts!</p>
<p>The North wind is kicking up. Wind chills of -20 to -35 F expected tonight.</p>
<p>Here we go again. H received a 2 am phone call from Delta that his afternoon flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix was cancelled. (We are supposed to get 12-16 inches of snow today - not one flake has yet to fall) They put him on the 9:30 pm flight. I wish they would have just booked him on tomorrows 7am flight because I am sure I will be making a midnight retrieval trip to the airport.</p>
<p>At least our roof is finally clear of snow and ready to receive another load.</p>
<p>We’ve had enough melt to expose a few areas of the flower bed, and wouldn’t you know it - the daffodils are coming up.</p>
<p>Just in time to get snowed on tonight.</p>
<p>Goofy daffodils.</p>
<p>Still waiting for the giant ice dam on the back of my house to come down. So far it is just slowly melting.</p>
<p>The front roof is about 99% clear and the back roof has some remaining pieces of ice that are three or four inches thick. I could just push the biggest piece off the roof but I’m not inclined to bother given the two-week forecast. We might get a few inches tonight but we have enough sun and temps above freezing next week so that it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>The warmer and sunnier weather this past week was a nice mood-lifter.</p>
<p>We hit 66 on Friday; I spent all day outside, cleaning up the yard. My galanthus are starting to bloom. (They will be covered in snow in the morning.)</p>
<p>One step forward two steps back. Friday it was in the 60’s. Ice storm last night. No power for 14 hours and 15 degrees.</p>
<p>The flowers I mentioned two posts ago are now under three inches of slush, with three inches of snow on the way.</p>
<p>I’m on the library’s internet, as we’ve been without power for 14 hours now, too, due to an ice storm. boomer and I must be in the same area. I just boarded my dog, as it’s 50 degrees in the house and I didn’t want to haul him to the neighbors’ house tonight. (The homes across the street have power.) There are so many people without power that all the hotels with power are booked. All the contents from my refrigerator are sitting outside on top of my patio table and the snow is still coming down. I’m not even sure I can get into the garage to get out the snowblower. H is golfing in Florida. Kids were supposed to be skiing in Michigan this weekend, but the trip got cancelled due to lack of snow.</p>