Snowy Interlude

Shortly after Halloween we had a few snow flurries here in Michigan, but no actual snowfall. All of that changed this week. Since my last solar update we have had a grand total of two feet of snow. Tuesday’s snowfall brought about six inches but the snowstorm spanning Thursday through today (Saturday) gave us another eighteen. The thing is we had a mini heat wave towards the end of the pergola frame construction so the ground actually had a chance to warm up. This resulted in the snow condensing itself down to about a foot, and a TON of slush underneath. I. HATE. SLUSH. And literally never before in my life has this statement been more true. I have never had slush stick and build up in my snow blower so much that it actually snows snow from entering and being scooped up by the paddles. They literally spun without touching anything, meanwhile I just end up pushing everything around on the ground. So my snow blower has officially become a glorified but useless electric shovel. I’ve been wanting to upgrade to a two-stage auger blower, but given how the slush and snow stuck, I’m not sure if that would be any more effective. TL;DR the ground has a foot of that which I love over two inches of that which I loathe and it’s made me grumpy.

But on the much brighter (pun intended) side of things it really is beautiful outside right now, especially in my backyard. I always love this view from my home office window:

This was also my youngest dog’s first winter and fun time in the snow. Sadly this is one event that I didn’t get to capture on camera since I was a bit … preoccupied chasing her around the yard. I did however get a photo of her older brother, my Bernese Mountain Dog. He, of course, was right at home with Mother Nature’s air conditioning. :D

Autumn is my favorite season, but I love winter. I love marching around in the snow, snowball fights, sledding, and playing with the dogs. I also really enjoy apple cider (warm or cold), hot chocolate, and a fire going in the fireplace. Call me basic for those last few but when you’ve been outside for a few hours, these are definitely the best ways to warm up in comfort. ;)

In regards to the pergola and solar panel installation the good news (technically bad for the winter lover in me) is that the weather is supposed to warm up a fair bit above freezing and we’re looking at pretty sunny days. I don’t want the snow to go away, but we need it to do just that so we can finish the solar, at least on the house roof. I’m not entirely sure how clear the solar crew needs it to be completely clear before going up there, but I’m sure I’ll find out on Monday.

In the meantime, back to clearing the driveway. Have I mentioned how much I hate slush?