I Want to Kill Old Man Winter!

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05/29/15

/\/\/\ That's the part that scares hell outta me, Jose -- knowing that if I have to stop in a hurry that it ain't gonna happen, with or without 4x4!

@ Dwatina -- Awwww please tell Doc that Kiss sorry Crying or Very sad

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 4:10 am

Totally agree Jose!

Kiss: You are forgiven.

***

More pics from tonight:

05/29/15

/\/\/\ Nasty crap -- looks like our neck o' the woods.

@Doc: Thank you! (HUGzzz)

ETA:

@ Jose and Dwatina --

You should have been crows on the wire when Mr.Kiss decided to teach li'l ol' Southern Fried not-yet-Mrs.Kiss how to drive in snow and ice!!!

He took me to a huge, empty parking lot in his 4x4 Bronco, got out and locked the hubs, and taught me how to spin donuts -- he wanted me to do that for awhile -- just to relax me, I guess ...
Then he had me drive up some quiet, sparsely populated roads. He was actually recalling it and laughing really hard about it last night.
He says that he was so proud of me -- I only put the Bronco in the ditch once, and didn't even hit the power pole (just missed it by six inches) !!!

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 12:14 pm

Great story, KOD. Up here in the mitten, we have a lot of snow from the initial storm (15 inches) plus the 4-5 inches since. I could live with that. But the high has been in the single digits and every night at least -10 F. I want to hibernate for a month.
@Jose, you know which 4wd are idiots when you see the percentage of trucks stuck on the highways. It's running 2 to one trucks to cars. Black ice and no traction trumps any vehicle.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 3:47 pm

Great story KOD--I had to teach myself to drive in the snow.

@Capone: I agree about the number of trucks stuck on highways or in ditches. A good example is the idiots last night. I think the private plow truck drivers are the worst.

The regular plow truck came through early this morning and totally buried the end of the driveway--two feet of that hard crap/chunks. Took me a half hour to get it cleaned out this morning. Then I drove down the street to the local corner store to get my coffee and fill up my gas tank (I never go below a half tank). Was gone for maybe 10 minutes.

Well, that damn plow came back through again and re-buried the end of the driveway. So I park on the street, get that shoveled out again, so I can park. As I drive around the block, the plow comes back around and deposits more shit at the end of the driveway.

I said screw it, and just pulled in--with 4WD of course!

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It's about to go from 20C to 0C here today. That ought to be a shock to the system.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 8:18 pm

^^Yeah--bbrrrrrr

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:08 pm

I've got an '02 Chevy 3/4 ton. It's nothing pretty, and a came with several dents, which were installed by the previous owner. I wash it once a year, whether it needs it or not (although the interior is always kept clean, and I am a zealot regarding maintenance).

Have never had it in the snow or ice, but have had it in some fairly hellacious mud holes. Have only gotten it stuck once, and have not installed any new dents. It took a D6 dozer to get it unattached from said hellacious mudhole, BTW.

My truck would be absolutely terrible in the snow. It has nothing to do with the 4x4, and everything to do with the tires. If I took it up North for the winter, I'd change out the mudders for a set of Blizzaks, and (probably) rarely need to put it in 4x4. Snow tires and mud tires look similar, but they're an entirely different animal.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:31 pm

^^I hear 'ya about tires. My first Jeep (a 98 Wrangler) I bought used, and it had off-road tires on it. It sucked in the snow. I got them pretty quicky but only bought all-season.

My second Jeep (brand new '06) came with all season, but I invested in snow tires. That thing was great in the snow.

I've got a '13 Wrangler, and I am leasing it (another years or so left on the lease). I didn't invest in snow tires, but have been using the all season.

When I turn it back in August of 2016, whether I buy it or buy another one, I will invest in snow tires and will not lease again.

I think I was stupid to lease this one, but that's what I did.

As a note--I have never gotten stuck in any vehicle I've owned so far as snow (knock on wood). I have never taken vehicles off road or mudding, so I have no experience with that.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 10:56 pm

It's goddamn snowing again! Another six inches overnight, and then freezing rain. I was going to go to the laundrymat tomorow morning, but I guess I'll have to wait unti next week. Thank God I have just enough clothes to last until then.

And the idiots are back out on my hill spinning their tires.

As a note--this is the snowiest and coldest February in Syracuse history. In fact, the entire winter may be the coldest ever recorded for us.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:19 pm

Karma for my glib comment to Doc yesterday: this morning I went out, fired up the snow blower to clear the 5" from my 330' of sidewalk, stepped on a patch of ice, went down and wrenched the hell out of my left knee. Finished the job but now I'm getting around with a cane.

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:24 pm

^^Ouch! I hope you are going to be okay.

That's a pretty big sidewalk!

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:35 pm

Best wishes to you guys & gals over there & hope folks are looking after the local community who can't get out much in that extreme weather you are getting at the mo

Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:50 pm

^^Thanks. At least in my neighborhood, folks are helping each other with snowblowing and shoveling and stuff. The city also has a "Meals on Wheels" program to bring meals to the elderly and sick (they do it year round).

I know I am so sick and tired of winter. This is one of the worst winters ever. It was pretty decent and not a big deal until the the beginning of February, but since then it's been non-stop cold and snow.

We averaged a high of 8°F since then, and windchills have been averaging around -10°F. We are going to warm up to 30 tomorrow, then -12 tomorrow night Sad

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:00 am

This morning, water was coming out the end of a pipe next to the main valve. I didn't have time to turn it off before I left for church, so I turned it off when I got back, using a rake as a lever. The plumber has since come and fixed it.

05/29/15

Wow, I've missed a lot today!!!
@ Capone – BLACK ICE Shocked

First winter after moving here my brother insisted that I borrow his 4x4 Explorer. It got trumped, all right – hit that black ice on the interstate, skidded 50 yards, rolled over three times and then she went end over end. I even made it on the Evening News as the “Rollover of the Day” !!! (Four others went @$$ over teakettles on the same patch throughout the rest of the day.) I was OK, just a little shaken with a headache, but otherwise fine (let's hear it for seatbelts). Not so much so for the Explorer … totaled …
@ jose and dwatina – '04 Ford F150 -- one dent courtesy of some mystery shopper in the grocery store parking lot! We have never used snow tires but we keep all-seasons on her and we never let them become significantly worn before replacing them. It's very vertical (hilly) here on the CT shoreline – most of it's cut right out of the mountainsides. So between the good tires and the 4x4, we have no trouble navigating up snowy, icy roads. Same goes for mudholes, though we don't do so much of that anymore – much the shame.

@ dwatina – Syracuse sounds just like CT right now. Same awful story – coldest February on record, coldest month ever Crying or Very sad

And yes – it's snowing ...

@ lakeside – ohhhhh, you poor thing!!! Wow, I sure hope you're all right. Elevate that thing at every opportunity, and ice it – 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off until it feels much better. If several rounds of ice don't bring you a little relief, try heat – 20 on, 20 off. The true medical answer to “Should you apply ice or heat?” is a secret from non-medical persons. (Shhhh – it's whichever makes it feel better, although chances are that in your case it will be ice.) Take whatever you've got for pain.

@ Esox lucius – Thank you! We live in a development of 4- and 6-unit condos. Everyone typically looks out for everyone else in their building. I'm the only one with a chest freezer, so I freeze 8-10 containers of ice every day and take them down to the guy who had his knee replaced last month. Of the five gents in our building, Mr.Kiss is the only able-bodied one. He shovels the entire area when he is home and awake, but he's gone most of the time. That leaves four of us six womenfolk to do all the shoveling of about 250 feet of walkway. There is also a 6-vehicle carport in front of the building. The cars inside the carport are mostly snow-free, but we all have two vehicles, leaving one out in the driveway. We also have to keep digging our vehicles out, then like at dwatina's building, the snowplows just come back around and shove all the snow up around them again. The plows keep burying the sidewalks, rendering them a completely lost cause.

@ VX – plumber? You're all fixed? You've got running water again? HOORAY !!! jump_4_joy

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:54 am

It's a balmy 24F (and dropping) here right now. First time all week it's been above 20. By tomorrow night we're supposed to get back to -13.

Unlike the folks on the east coast, we have been in a "snow drought" this year, though, and that could really hurt the farmers in the spring.

05/29/15

/\/\/\ Well, that stinxxx, Dorothy -- that which hurts the farmers hurts all of us!
(Never talk trash about the farmers with your mouth full.)

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:13 am

@Dorothy: Talk about opposites. We are worried about spring flooding, and you've got the opposite.

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:24 am

@KissOfDeath: your recommendations are well taken. The daughter has me following the RICE routine - rest, ice, compression, elevation. I'll try the 20 on, 20 off with ice. If I'm not feeling better tomorrow I'll call my sister the nurse.

Edit: OMG! You meant 20 on 20 off with HEAT, right?

05/29/15

/\/\/\ 20 on, 20 off with EITHER ice OR heat Very Happy

Sometimes alternating the two helps -- 20 on with ice, 20 off, 20 on with heat, 20 off ... lather, rinse, repeat!

But I honestly do think in your case that ice is most appropriate -- typically the best course for soft tissue injury because it reduces swelling, thereby easing pain.
(Former EMT/firefighter, if it makes you feel any better Cool

)

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:59 am

We got another foot or more yesterday and the sun come out today melting some. Haven't been out since Friday and that's been nice. I'm ready to go out tomorrow though, we are all shoveled out! Very Happy

30 days til Spring! jump_4_joy

05/29/15

We have meltage going on, too, Corona -- but it's just freezing back into sheets of ice Sad

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:05 am

^^^Yep, not going out too early

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.... and there's the bottom of that 20C drop. Mother nature is a *****. Mad

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