Comments on: Musings on Snow Removal

By: FMF

FMF — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:23:49 +0000

Thanks for highlighting my post! It’s snowing here today, so we’re now well over 90 inches for the season!

By: FMF

FMF — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:22:07 +0000

Thanks for highlighting my piece! It’s snowing here today, and we’re now well over 90 inches of snow for the season!

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:02:37 +0000

isn’t this the reason why people have kids? at least this is what my parents felt. then again, kids are probably more expensive than a snowblower. we also had a neighborhood deal, where someone would snowblow all the driveways. or you could get some kid to do the shoveling…see another benefit of having kids.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:55:18 +0000

Ohhhh, I too am losing my love of the winter in Northern Michigan. Do keep eyes open for snowbirds selling their snowblowers. Totally a great way to get a relatively new one from people who have decided to head south each winter. (That’s how we got ours)

By: Loren@SaneAtHomeMom

Loren@SaneAtHomeMom — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:11:46 +0000

That’s interesting on the age for shoveling snow. I guess it would also depend on the state of your health too.

I do sort of laugh when I read the posts on snow! It may be excruciatingly hot sometimes here in Texas (REALLY nice weather right now, btw), but we never have to SHOVEL HUMIDITY out of our driveways!!

LOL

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:40:57 +0000

Not to mention shoveling a little snow is good exercise! Its funny but I really like shoveling snow… but make me mow the lawn and I’d rather pay someone to do it.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:52:00 +0000

WARNING ABOUT SNOW SHOVELING.

My father just had heart surgery, and the surgeon mentioned that NO ONE over the age of 45 should ever shovel snow manually. He says the risk of heart attack in that age group in cold weather is astronomical compared to averages, and the extra stress of shoveling puts if over the edge.

He also discourages smokers from shoveling snow as well. He says the blood vessels constrict in cold weather making any blockages smaller, and smoking also constricts your blood vessels, so you are doubling your risk.

SPEND THE MONEY, GET A SNOW BLOWER. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:46:33 +0000

I don’t need to buy a snow blower because I (over)pay my homeowners association to clear the roads, driveways, and sidewalks. From time to time I will shovel out my drive a little just to get my car out.

Jeremy I would suggest renting a metal detector so you can scan the piles of snow. My BIL lost his ring 4 wheeling and spent a few hours scanning around the area they were at and found his ring. Hope you’ll be able to find it.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:51:22 +0000

Tricia: I’m sure you probably thought of this, but I’ll mention it anyway. We also live in a cold, snowy area (New England) and here many people “share” snow blowers. So, for example, one of our neighbors already owns one and he will loan it to the others to clear their driveways after a storm. The rest of us chip in for maintainance/repairs so the cost of ownership is lower for him. Works great, encourages neighborly contact and saves everyone involved $$!

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:09:55 +0000

I had a metal detector as a kid, but I called my parents and they no longer have it. But it is something that I would probably use more than once, so that isn’t a bad idea.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:07:07 +0000

What a bummer! Maybe that’s a reason to get a metal detector? If I lost my ring, I think that’s the first idea that would pop into my head. Then again, I’ve always wanted one to take to the beach to search for treasures.

I hope you find it!

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:51:02 +0000

I know we talked about this a bit last winter, but we also struggle with the idea of buying a snow blower. We decided against it again this year and I figured I could shovel it all away. Hard labor, yes, but it is good exercise and free.

But today, I think I may have offset any cost of buying a snowblower and more. While shoveling, at some point my wedding ring fell off. I wasn’t wearing gloves and was out shoveling the 6 fresh inches that had fallen while I was at work, and as soon as I walked inside the house, I noticed I didn’t have a ring on my finger. So I frantically ran outside and searched the driveway, but no sign of it.

I really hope that in a month or two when all of this snow melts I’ll be able to find it, but I’m not holding my breath.