Dealing with snow? (houses, camping, to live)

[politikally]

In my experience most people don't have the ankle biter dogs We have Labs Which can walk in the snow just fine.

I suppose you'd have to clear a spot for small dog.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by politikally

In my experience most people don't have the ankle biter dogs We have Labs Which can walk in the snow just fine.

I suppose you'd have to clear a spot for small dog.

Makes sense, especially in a rural area...

My dog also doesn't like snow (or water) because her fur's like a mop and everything sticks to her.

She's like sort of like me; heat index at 110 F isn't too hot for her to lie in the sun for a few minutes.

[politikally]

So tallrick, have we answered the question to your satisfaction? Or do you have additional ones?

[puffle]

Originally Posted by politikally

So tallrick, have we answered the question to your satisfaction? Or do you have additional ones?

It was me who asked the question and yes, I believe I found out what I needed.Love my little "ankle biters".

[tallrick]

Yes! It looks like snow can be a lot more fun than hurricanes! If I move to a snowy cilmate I will be sure to have the necessary equipment and live away from the city, in a more rural setting to avoid the hassles of getting the car buried in snow, or having someone lose control on ice and POW! Getting days off work because of snow seems a whole lot more pleasant than having your warehouse leveled by a big wind.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Yes! It looks like snow can be a lot more fun than hurricanes! If I move to a snowy cilmate I will be sure to have the necessary equipment and live away from the city, in a more rural setting to avoid the hassles of getting the car buried in snow, or having someone lose control on ice and POW! Getting days off work because of snow seems a whole lot more pleasant than having your warehouse leveled by a big wind.

Then you could get a snowmobile! I hear they're a big adrenaline rush; for the price, they're really fast.

[prairiestate]

I only wish we had more snow. Winters have been so mild in Chicago the past 10 years or so, with a few exceptions. It's been in the 40's and 50's most of December this year! But snow really isn't a big deal. If there's less then 3 inches, you can easily drive through it. Even on the few occasions when we get buried in it, the roads are plowed curb to curb within 24 hrs. Maybe a little longer for the side streets, but they usually make at least one pass through with a plow within a day of the snow fall. Shoveling is hard work, but just buy a snow blower. Or a condo. My condo association hires someone who does an incredible job in the parking lot. They might be out there 15 hours until the lot is completely clear. And of course the sidewalks all get shoveled as well. On the other hand, I do have to park outside in a lot, so I frequently have frost on my car, and of course snow and ice. I got a remote start this year though, which is great. I leave the heater on at night, and in the morning, just go to the balcony window and start it up 10 min. before I plan to leave. So, I guess the moral of this story is there are ways to cope.

Btw, I think the worst problem is being covered in sheets of ice, but that's mostly a problem in the lower midwest and upper south. Say the latitude from southern Indiana to Tennessee. It's never happened to any great degree up here.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Being born and raised in south Florida I have had very little experiences with snow, and have only seen it twice in my life. But due to Florida's bubble and failing economy I will have to abandon ship in a year or two unless things improve. Question is, how does the snow affect your lives up morth?

I actually like cold weather --- it has to be in the teens before I wear gloves - but NOBODY likes to scrape their car windows and nobody likes to drive on ice. You have to make it a time consideration. You know, if you are running late for work and there is ice on your windows, you'll be starting your day with a mutter. It's not awful, it's just an annoyance. Get the kind of scraper that has a full broom on the end so you can sweep snow off your windows, easily. Oh yeah, and even if you don't smoke, carry a cheap lighter or something to unfreeze your locks.

If you live in a transient place like I do now, snow is not good. People think the size of their vehicles is somehow an extension of their manhood and they try to prove it on the road even in the snow. Because it is a transient place (lots of people move in and out because of contract work and short-term government jobs) they all don't know how to drive in bad weather. To the mix, you also have to add your local population of people who are driving without insurance in a weather condition they are not used to experiencing in their country. On the other hand, if you look up at the sky in January and the clouds look a little poufy, they're already closing the schools.

You'll get your car washed more frequently in the winter because of what they put on the roads.

I do remember leaving work once at 11:00A and getting home at 4:10PM (a normal 40 minute ride) when there was a 15 car/tractor-trailer pile up on the road in one place and a 12 car pile up in another. Luckily, I had a book in the car. I read while they shut down the highway and cleared the cars. Others got out of their cars and chewed the fat for a couple of hours.

When I lived in NY, I don't remember snow impacting my life all that much. The plows came by. You shoveled out. You hoped school was canceled. You went to work or school. You made a snowman. You went sledding where it wasn't flat...usually near some overpass.

I keep a shovel, a scraper, a bottle of water and a book in my car.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by LauraC

I actually like cold weather --- it has to be in the teens before I wear gloves -

Lucky!

At 49 F usually I have to wear gloves; maybe that in itself explains why I usually dislike cold.

(I often try to be a good sport anyways )

[Yodelady]

I grew up in Connecticut and also lived in Toronto and Chicago so I have a bit of experience with snow.

Having grown up with it, we got used to it. We bundled up in the winter which takes some time, but you have to do it.

Snowplows clear the streets in most cities. The roads are either sanded or salted. Salt can damage your car.

Driving in snow is kind of like driving in rain. You just have to be careful. And keep an ice scraper and shovel in your car. You will need snow tires too.

Who clears a private road? Probably the owner of the road. If the dirt road is public, it is probably maintained by the city or county.

In Conn. they get about 9 inches to a foot of snow per month. Maybe one blizzard per year where you can't get to work.

If you don't want to shovel, you can buy a snowblower or hire a neighborhood kid.

When I was in Conn. earlier this month, there were icicles hanging off the mountainside and it was beautiful. It looked like frozen waterfalls.

In Chicago, the last year I was there, we had such a blizzard - several feet I think. If a person shoveled out a parking space and someone else took it, they would get their windshield "iced."

Anyway, I am thinking of moving back to Conn. (where it snows a lot) from Califoria and I'm not worried about it much at all.