The worst of the storm appears to have left. There is still wind and there may be a bit more snow, but the cleanup will have to being now. The street plows have been unable to get down many streets and roads due to the depth of the snow. These are big two ton trucks with a major plow blade attached. Not a smaller truck. So, the heavy equipment will need to move through to clear a path for the plows. Once the roads are cleared, loaders, backhoes and dump trucks will need to move the snow away. The snow banks left by a plow will be shoulder high and likely higher. These are not unlike rat mazes with people going down the sidewalks looking for a way out to cross a road. Drivers cannot see oncoming traffic when entering or exiting a street. So, it has to be moved. Clear first and then move. This will take days. In our subdivision, streets have not been cleared. Once that is done, larger equipment than usual will clear the driveways. This likely means removing the snow as the lawn areas are already covered with 4-5 feet of snow. We have been warned that this process will not be done in a day, but will take days to do. Our street is at the end of the road, so we will likely be last for this process. I guess that means they will have worked out the kinks and be experts at this new process. <smile>
I went out today, just as I have the past three days, to shovel out the heat pump. Today in the shoulder deep snow, it made a 5-6 foot long trench to get to the machine. It wasn't under a drift, but there was a major drift to get through to get to the thing. With no place to put the snow other than on top of the drift, there is now a 6 foot pile outside the patio door. A regional meteorologist pulled together figures for the eastern part of the province. Snowfall amounts locally were over 100 cm in the 39-55 inch area. (Please forgive my use of SI mixed with Imperial measures here -- my head just won't do conversions today.) I plan to dig a shovel wide trench to the edge of the patio in the next few days. Just so there is an exit and space should we need one. Again there's no where to put the snow other than beside the trench on top of the drifts. The temperature went above freezing today and will be in the region for most of this week. That makes the snow heavy and wet. At the base it feels glued to the cement where slush has begun to form. When the temperatures drop again, these will be impressive glacier piles and will be with us well into the spring.
While outside trying to take photos and shovel a bit, I could hear backup beeping of some snow moving equipment. That sound brought hope. We will get out eventually. Someone with a bigger vehicle needs to pull together a grocery delivery service to those who have not been dug out yet. That could help with some of the confinement feelings. A song came to mind today when thinking of digging out. It made me laugh -- and relax a bit. <smile> Stay safe. Enjoy!
Can You Dig It -- The Monkees
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