Dec. Week 4 – And the Snow Keeps on Coming!

Well, this week we had an honest-to-goodness blizzard. I know sometimes we like to talk about any heavy snow as a blizzard, but there is actually an official definition. Here is the definition according to the National Weather Service:

Blizzard

(abbrev. BLZD)- A blizzard means that the following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer: 

• Sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour or greater; and
• Considerable falling and/or blowing snow (i.e., reducing visibility frequently to less than ¼ mile)

http://www.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?letter=b

In New England language, a “wicked big snow storm.” So what did we do? We stayed inside and watched it snow. It’s important to learn to pace yourself, especially when it comes to large amounts of snow. If you don’t really, really need to go somewhere, stay home.  If yo must go out, take it slow, you’ll get there eventually. When the snow is over, clean it up at a reasonable pace. There are a lot of heart attacks each winter while cleaning up snow. Take your time, you can move it all eventually.

Life is all about knowing what you can and can’t do, and when you can and can’t do it. Snow, or for that matter, any significant natural event, is good at reminding us of these things, if we’ll listen.

Considering that things can happen to our homes and our computers, this week I backed up all the home computers onto a pocket drive. This is a hard drive that is literally small enough to fit into your shirt pocket. Next week, I’ll drop it off in our safe deposit box. This is what all the computer experts recommend: off-site backup. Hard drives have become very reliable, but they still crash – taking all your data with them. I’ve chosen the pocket drive route because it puts me more in control, but there are a number of on-line backup services that will let you back up your computer to their “vault.”

In any event, back up your computer. get an external drive and keep a backup locally, and do something off-site. Someday you’ll thank me.

 

Dec. Week 3 – The Snow Begins

Well, Winter has come to New England – at least my portion of it. I mark this by the first snow that requires action on my part. It snowed this week, only about 2 inches, but enough to cause me to go out and clean off the driveway. I know some of you may not bother with such a small amount, but I guess I’m driven by my childhood. The house I grew up in had a steep driveway – very steep. (Those of you who know where I lived know what I’m talking about.) This meant that even a thin coating of snow or ice could be very slippery. So we learned that no matter how small the snowfall, you go clean it off. I still do.

Some people leave it unless it is difficult to maneuver in. This can be a mistake – for several reasons:  Even though it comes down as snow, if the temperature is very cold afterwards, snow can quickly turn into ice. This is especially true if the snow is very wet. Sometimes we get what I call “cement snow.” This is very wet snow, somewhat the consistency of peanut butter, that freezes into a solid block of ice-snow, not unlike cement. If you don’t remove it while it is soft, You may have to live with it until spring. You need to work with the window you’ve got.

One of the things I appreciate about New England snow is that the day after a snow is usually bright and sunny. Since the best surface for walking and driving on is a dry, ice-free surface, you want the snow to melt away before the night-time freezing temperatures return. Snow is a great reflector, and therefore it doesn’t absorb much of the sun’s heat. If you clean most of the snow away from a paved surface, the sun can heat it and it melts nicely. By the end of the day it’s nice and dry.

Basically, the key to snow is keeping up with it – not trying to catch up with the removal later. Life is like that too. I’m not just talking about chores and repairs, but also the stuff of living. Relationships need keeping up with. Don’t let a rift grow. Don’t let distance get too great. Keep up with it. It’s always easier. It takes a little work to maintain relationships, but it’s worth it.

Well, enough of my snow lore. I’m sure you’ll hear more from me as the winter progresses. It’s time for me to get down to Christmas preparations. Have a Merry Christmas!