Digging Out

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

18 Feb 2007 06:29 PM

I confess; I have used this blog to complain about having to shovel my driveway and sidewalk after Mother Nature sent several inches our way---but no more. My whines have been silenced and I am completely humbled by what people living in parts of central New York along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario are dealing with. Can you imagine having your home buried under 110 inches of snow? Or, how about navigating through 9-feet of snow to get to your mailbox?

I don't think many homeowners can fathom dealing with that much snow in such a limited time frame. So how do you dig out from that much snow? And, moreover, what do you do with it all? The following creative ideas are culled from residents around the country who have dealt with far less snow. Still, I found their concepts helpful (and amusing) and certainly applicable to other homeowners dealing with mounds of the white stuff.

PLOW IT

When a snow blower just won't do why not pull out your robot plow? It's what one Pennsylvania homeowner did during last week's snowfall. Bill Lauver lets his robot plow clear the driveway while he stays toasty indoors.

For the past three years, Lauver has spent many a winter day standing by his living room window and watching as his robot plow does all the work. The converted golf cart with plow attachment clears the driveway while Lauver operates it via remote control from the comfort of his home.

Lauver told local news reporters the plow is a converted 4 horsepower electric golf cart, geared down for a slower speed. It can handle 6 to 8 inches of snow, though has a rough time on ice.

PUT IT TO GOOD USE

The next time you feel the urge to curse the piles of snow that have formed on your lawn think about this next story. According to a Connecticut newspaper, a volunteer firefighter who was the first to arrive at the scene of a local house fire used snow from the lawn to douse the flames. The firefighter told reporters when he saw the fire he grabbed a shovel from his truck and ran to the burning structure and managed to put out most of the flames by shoveling snow from the lawn. He said the snow created steam and steam puts fire out fast. Most of the fire was out by the time the other firefighters arrived at the scene.

PLAY IN IT

Whenever we get a substantial amount of snow my daughter begs me to take her outside so she can make snow angels. It's a great way to make use of fresh snow, just ask my daughter... and about 8,900 residents in North Dakota who turned out yesterday attempting to set the record for the most snow angels ever made.

According to news reports, close to 9,000 people flapped their arms and legs on the state Capitol grounds Saturday in an attempt to reclaim the world record, which was broken last year by residents in Michigan.

Nothing is official (the Guinness Book of Records still must confirm the number), but it looks as though residents in North Dakota got the job done. According to a member at State Historical Society of North Dakota, "8,910 people registered for Saturday's attempt to break the record of 3,784 snow angels set by students at Michigan Technological University in Houghton."

Who knew winter could be so much fun?

Related Articles:

All About Snow Removal

New Snow Removal Innovations

Snowed In and Housebound---Five Ways To Pass The Time

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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