Crumbly Acres Sidewalk!

Crumbly Acres December weather was more snowy than in the past few years. It's the sudden change from rain to snow that causes issues. We have the infrastructure for both snowy and icy weather events. If only we all used what is available. 

 

We knew we'd be getting ice rain last week. This is what Joe Brian brought me: 

I worked on the sidewalk after the storm. A layer of ice was treacherous, so I scattered some Alaskan Pet Friendly Ice Melter ('safe for paws and concrete') JB had brought home. 
I used the entire container! But it worked. You can see the pellets melt a circle around itself.

"Pet friendly' it says, but the squirrels and birds were going near it. I hope they didn't eat any. It sure looks like food. 

We had about a cm of snow on top of the ice and pellets. That helped with walking.

You may well 🤣laugh, but I spent a half hour looking for this tool↓. It was my dad's and I've used it a lot. I'd forgotten I spray painted it red! Poor Joe looked for me, too. BUT I FINALLY FOUND IT! The ice was brittle and just snapped when I banged it. Whew!

That looks much better.

These are my snappy boots. They have cleats they you flip on or off on a hinge. I bought them in 2020, on sale 50% off, last pair size 9 for $90. I cannot tell you how many times they have saved me!

This year I had to glue them, as the red shoe was pulling out of the black sole. So far, so good! I've had some clients with icy sidewalks, and they are terrific. I've had 41 clients since 2009 when I began to volunteer and do respite. If only I could put these on the car, I'd be set!

 

What did we wake up to Jan. 1st? Another 6.5 cm snow.

We went back at it. It seems as if Joe's Rotator Cuff injury is finally better.

It's not so bad when the sun comes out!

My trusty snow blower was no match for the end of the driveway. It is frozen solid.

I toodled on down, past the trailcam. 

Whoopsie! Someone blew snow on it. You can see the deer tracks around it.

That was the last photo the camera took↑. I'll have to take it in for repairs. SIGH. It's the lens at fault, as the other lens works for the camera. 

Bird bath, ice rain, and snow

 What a miserable morning! Rain, freezing rain, frozen rain, and Wednesday morning it snowed on top of all that. Coffee was called for. With parliament cleared, we are breathing easier in Ottawa. PM Trudeau has rescinded the Emergency Act, and we will hope the 4 breakout camps, on private farmland 100 km outside Ottawa, will slowly disperse. It's - 17 C. in Ottawa, I hope they go home soon. Numbers are dwindling.

A mash up of #thichnhathanh and #hafiz quotes to help you on your Friday... #injustice #shineyourlight pic.twitter.com/8v1fNqb0va

— The Oxherd Boy (@oxherdboy) August 27, 2021

COID–19 seems to be slowing down. There is that. However, Joseph Brian was right, Putin waited until after the Olympics were over to attack Ukraine. Russia and China are hoping for world domination. The Kyiv airport is abandoned. No air traffic. I feel so badly. 

JB went downstairs for a workout, and put on the TV for the cats. (He opened the curtains!) I put the globe feeder here. It attracts black squirrel, red squirrel, as well as the birds. The squirrels are their favourites, I believe.

It was pretty dreary! Droopy trees were sad to see. I turned my light out at 10:15 Tuesday night. Awake at 5:30 a.m.

Then, it began to snow.

The birds were busy, awaiting their turn at the feeders and the bird bath. Can you spot them?!

The feeders are pretty, in a weird sort of way. We still have them today, Thursday, as we are in a deep freeze. 

Then, the deer arrived. They were covered in snow!

The cardinal is a bright spot in the day. He glared at the chickadee!

We had a reprise of  🐻SNUGGLE Bears!

There was a bit of a panic attack. The water was freezing over in the bird bath. This isn't good. Bringing in the heater, I popped it into vinegar water and cleaned it like mad. Placing it back into the bath, it did not do the job. I watched it for a half hour and it was obviously not working. I had to drain it.

I ordered a new one for pickup. We'll go for a drive to Almonte once the order is ready.

Under the feeder, the birds were happy for food. At this point, unable to muster the energy to walk on the frozen snow, I placed the trailcam on the ground. You can hear the rain dripping from above.

 

Winter storms & Ontario Roads

I took a couple of photos with our new smartphone. I think I like it. We've had a total of three calls so far, one from hubby in town!!!!

All of our computers are Apple products, so this is a mild learning curve, as it is an LG product. I have yet to figure out how to integrate a few things, but for now it's a working phone!  [The whole saga, and why we went to a cell for in lieu of our landline. ☎️Bell Canada – Let's Talk]

We had awful winds and snow (blue), ice rain (pink) and rain (green).

I enjoy the technology that gives us information about the storms, and the impact on our work and play, is a powerful tool. Both in anticipation as well as the length of storms, and how and when to prepare. This is a good reason to stay home. There was ice rain all across the southern part of the province. 🚓ONTARIO ROADS 🚗 have been a mess!

Power outages across southern Ontario, this is a biggie. 

Winter continues. We had ice pellets Thursday, Feb. 6th. Friday, big winds, and a drop in temperature over the day. The trick was, to sweep away the melted ice pellets before it all froze again. That proved impossible. We are sheltering in place! See how much the temperature dropped over the day!


Wait until next Tuesday, another storm is on its way! The systems run northeast, and another Colorado low is forming.

Saturday, Feb. 9

This is what happened in the yard. Firstly, the birdbath heater came out of the extension cord. I noticed the poor mourning doves, trying to get a drink.


I plugged it back in, and poured some fresh water in. Slowly it revved back up.


I've been working on the driveway. It was sheer ice from the back of the garage to the forest. The water drains down onto the 'lawn', which is fine. We simply avoid it.


I sent hubby into town for salt. It was time. The stores were sold out. He finally found some in a garage! We wouldn't normally worry about this, as we bring groceries in through the garage door, into the kitchen, but we can't walk out to the yard. I was worried about anyone delivering stuff.


The sun was glorious. Annie didn't leave the deck. Hooper was a good supervisor, getting himself up into the trees.


This is the back door. The snow has melted, and frozen. I have to be careful fetching wood, not that there is much left here.


Down at the meadow, this creaky tree is still splitting. We shall see how long it lasts!