Rolling Acres - This and That

Bruce said:

True, and being retired they can just hang out until the snow is plowed . Folks think we have snow every day all day in the winter here. Fact is we get a few storms and it is rare that the roads are not plowed within a few hours of it stopping. And they are plowed during the storms as well. I remember only one time, Feb 14 some years ago, that is snowed 27" in about 12 hours. The plows couldn't keep up. But a day later, clean dry pavement. I don't think I got the garden tractor with snow blower out even 10 times last winter. They seem to be getting more snow down in MA than here (which bugs DW no end).

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Yes I remember that Valentine's day snowstorm. Remember the Christmas day snowstorm(probably 15 years ago)?
It bugs me too when NYC gets more snow than we do. lol

15 years is too long ago to remember

The reason I remember the Valentine's Day storm is my drive home was memorable. Nothing bad or scary. In clear weather without traffic it was a 15 minute 10 mile drive. It took over 3 hours. I made the first 3 or so miles and came to a place where the road goes down, then back up, reasonably steep. People were waiting at the top to get up speed on the downhill to help carry them up the other side as they lost traction. Except those that hadn't made it up the other side were littering the road, people were trying to go around them. Looked dangerous so I turned left and took a different road that paralleled the first but didn't have the "valley". No problem, made it through to the road I would have turned on from road 1. Was going to turn left but a guy in a private plow truck said "don't bother, road's all blocked up that way. OK, so I turned right back toward road 1 (well past the "valley"). Lots of cars stuck and road 1 hadn't been cleared for some time. I was making progress in my Prius (ie lower clearance and less weight than most if not all of the stuck vehicles) by backing up every time the traction control (which can not be defeated) stopped me from going forward, getting up some speed in my prior track and going forward again. Some people figured this out and were helping by pushing as I slowed. I eventually broke through the wall of snow made by the state plows on road 1. I went back to help others get unstuck. They had tried to "burn through" but had just sunk themselves down to their frames and the wheels were spinning in the snow. Some wanted to try and go forward but I convinced them they would do better to back up and then follow my tracks out. Helped about 5 get out, the rest figured it out as we worked.

OK, an hour later I head out again. Was going to go to the interstate but saw a mess of cars stuck in the road that direction so again took a side road. Going great, almost floating over the unplowed snow, not yet deep enough to keep me from making progress but I will admit I ran a couple of lights and stop signs (no one on the road) because I sure didn't want to stop. Was going to get on the interstate ramp right near the police dept and fire station. BUT it was blocked with about 6' of snowplow leavings. I would have thought that one would be important to keep open. OK, still taking side roads, ignoring red lights and stop signs. Got to 3/4 mile from my house, stopped to pick up a neighbor who was walking home after waiting over an hour for a tow truck to rescue his car and near freezing figured he was better off walking home. Got to the dead end road we lived on, only 1/4 mile to go! But it hadn't been plowed since noon and it was then 7 PM. At least a foot of snow and I bottomed out just a short distance from where the road takes a pretty good drop down. But no go and no shovel in the car (never happen again!!!) We tried kicking some snow but it wasn't going well and the neighbor was really cold by then so he started walking home, he still had a half mile to go. A short while later DW and DD2 showed up with shovels, they had been working on the driveway and the neighbor clued them in. Shoveled out in front of the car and about 30' in front of the wheels. Got going, got to the steeper part and made it down to the house. Home ... almost. It took another hour to finish clearing the driveway AND the road in front of it so I could turn into the driveway.

And now you know why I remember THAT storm.

Yikes! No wonder you remember THAT storm. With the ride back from he!! why would you head back out?

I don't know how you do it but I applaud you for driving your Prius in the snow! I will not drive another vehicle without 4-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive ever again.

The Prius actually handles quite well in the snow though I don't have any steep grades to climb. But like any vehicle, you need decent snow tires. I do NOT do studded tires. I replaced the OEM Goodyear (has no) Integrity tires after the first PUNY snowfall when the car was 2 months old in November 2004. Those things slid on the minimal stuff left at stop signs even after the tires stopped turning. I don't know why they even make such cr@p. DD's cousin had a Prius and almost sold it because it would lose traction on gravel patches. I told him to get some REAL tires. He turned into a happy camper (and Prius owner).

ETA - There are 4 drivers in my immediate family, all have a Prius. In fact DD1 has NEVER driven any other model of car and DD2 only did so when she was in driver's ed. So does my sister in So. Cal, so do my in-laws (also in VT) as well as several of DW's cousins. I think that says something about the car.

Wehner Homestead said:

I posted somewhere that DH calls Blossom, “Not Willow.”

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When we got chicks spring last year, 2 were Welsummers. One had a V on her head, the other didn't. One was temporarily named "V" (later Veronica) and the other "Not V".

We had a busy day here today. Not busy working but busy doing things. For starter, DS and I ran/walked our first 5K this morning. I've never done something like that before. DS ran, didn't even wait for me and I ran a bit then walked most of the 3 miles. He finished at 36 minutes abd we don't need to know how I did. Lol
After that we came home to rest a bit and I took DS to see "The house with a clock in it's walls" movie. I've not been to a regular movie theater in a long time. I can't believe how expensive it is. $6 for a medium fountain soda!
Now we're making dinner outside and have a visitor on top of the hill, eating apples .

RollingAcres said:

For starter, DS and I ran/walked our first 5K this morning. I've never done something like that before. DS ran, didn't even wait for me and I ran a bit then walked most of the 3 miles. He finished at 36 minutes abd we don't need to know how I did. Lol

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Good for the both of you! "Regular" walking speed is 3 MPH. So I would guess it took you about 1 hour

Very close, almost 49mins

I have another "stalker"
Rammy when you get to present time, hello

Darnit! Ive been discovered!

RollingAcres said:

Very close, almost 49mins

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That isn't bad, no reason to say we don't need to know how long it took. We could likely have done it together, I haven't run in years and I bet I couldn't make 1 mile let alone 3 running.