Blow, blow, ye winter winds

[flemmings]

A dilemma for the meteorologically minded. We have 10 cm (4") of snow on the ground, to be followed by freezing rain this aft to be followed by rain rain this evening- quite a lot of it, in fact. Now good citizen me, mindful of my civic obligations and of the poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er they are, that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm on their way to work, school and the local supermarkets, would ordinarily don the many layers of the winter onion and go out to shovel-- my walk and my brother's walk because he won't and sometimes my brother's neighbour's walk because my b's n. will shovel my brother's walk if he's out early enough and one must return the courtesy periodically and my brother won't. Truly, the balance of neighbourly favours is quite as complex in Toronto as it is in Tokyo.

But it's a Sunday so the snow won't be trampled flat before the ice descends to make it slippery and the rain descends to make it slippier, before, we hope with foolish optimism, melting it all away; so maybe it would be a *bad* idea to go out and shovel and salt and all that? And I should stay in here all cozy? with nothing I want to read because Rotenberg is mad and Pratchett is Pratchett and Pa Chin is depressing and Yuki Kaori-- we won't talk about Yuki Kaori.

I admit, my motive in shovelling is usually to make it easier for *me* to get around, at least for the space of three house fronts. Tomorrow morning will be disgusting whichever way it goes; and if MEC had delivered my snow crampons that give boots traction I might be more lackadaisical. I suppose I must, as they say, monitor the situation. And think how many calories get burned off shovelling snow.

Comments

[incandescens]

I would say, monitor the situation. After all, if the rain were to melt it, think how you would regret having wasted your time.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

I monitored the situation by shovelling three house fronts and a path halfway down the street. ^_^ The snow was closer to 6-7 inches on the sidewalks and really quite impassable.

[incandescens]

You're a tougher woman than I am. I'd have been sitting inside and praying for melt.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

The Lord helps those etc etc. I am rewarded by vistas of clean, if wet, sidewalk as far as the eye can see from my front door- which is a narrower range than from the front walkway, true.

[deepfryerfire.livejournal.com]

The question is, in the evening after it rains, will it freeze? And will the rain actually be warm enough to melt all of that?

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

It's supposed to stay above freezing overnight, if barely, and keep on raining, which usually here in downtown means it'll be a bit warmer than what's predicted for the city as a whole. I doubt the rain will melt *all* the snow- it may have been the drifting but it was more like six inches out front when I looked- but it'll turn the world into lagoon city for sure. I knew I should have bought that silicon spray for boots I saw somewhere yesterday...

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

If only we, as a country, practiced a form of semi-hibernation then this wouldn't even be a problem for you until say, March.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Agreed. In general it's not a real TO problem: many winters I can bicycle happily. But when it does winter here it does one of the most unpleasant versions known to man. Still not sure I'd swap it for prairie cold, but that's because your temps scare the living daylight out of me.