An Ounce of Prevention

 When we got up this morning we discovered that we had over a foot of lake effect snow on the ground.  After plowing and breakfast we went back out to find another six inches on top of that.

This is exactly what they mean when they say "a marshmallow world".

This snow fell on top of over a foot of snow that had compacted on everything.

Potting Bench

It's always interesting to go out and see how the snow is distributed,

Strawberry Cages

The tall pub chairs and patio boxes are almost completely buried,

The bunkers full of mulch and gravel look like a ski slope.

We have to get out and move some snow before it gets any deeper.  You never know when you might need to get to the trailer.

I shoveled out the trailer just for a reset.

We had to plow the old snow from where the trailer was sitting before we could clean more snow off of the building.

Pull all of the snow off of the tarps and then plow again.  The roof is reinforced, but we don't want anything tearing.

We try to keep all of the driveways clear and all of the buildings accessible.  You still have to get to things like the tractor fuel.  This may only be two feet or so, but when we get another two feet on top of this we will wish we'd started sooner.

We started shoveling the flat roofs.

I shoveled the deck because tomorrow we plan to get up on the house roof again and we will need a place to throw snow... and put up a ladder.

The front porch is also very flat.

We had missed our morning walk because the road was slippery, but two and a half hours of shoveling burns calories too.

Tomorrow we shovel the other side of the roof. That is the part of the house we worry most about.  It is 1950s construction.  Compared to the older part of the house it is less equipped to deal with the weight of the snow.  Instead of 13 feet wide it is 26 feet wide.  Instead of a 12/12 pitch it is a 4/12 pitch with rafters and planks, no plywood.  The builders were a little cheap with the collar ties.  Instead of dimensional 2x4s and tongue and groove planking inside and out, it is modern 2x4s and only drywall on the inside.  At night we lie in bed and listen to the roof creak and pop under the weight of the snow.  It is a great incentive to get out there and shovel  Afterall, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.