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Thread: Still loving the snow!

  1. #1
    Boolit Master





    Idaho45guy's Avatar
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    Still loving the snow!

    Just spent a couple of hours shoveling the walks, driveway, deck, clearing a path for the garbageman, and carving out a pee route for my dad's dog that I'm about to go pick up and dog sit for a couple of days. He just went to the hospital for a bad infection so I get to have a house guest until he's better.

    This region normally barely gets a foot of snow for any length of time. Normally, we'll get a good freeze, then a storm with a few inches, then it gets into the 40's and melts off. Rinse and repeat from November to March. Weeks and weeks of gray, miserable, wet, gloomy, brown weather is devastating.

    I'd much rather have temps in the 20's and a couple of feet of snow for a couple of months.

    And that is exactly what we've had the past three weeks. About 20" of snow at my place. Getting another foot or so the next couple of days.

    I had to drive to the county seat yesterday to renew my CCW permit and took the rural highway which was closed due to drifting for two days. Just got it cleared and I was impressed by drifts that were over the roof of my lifted SUV...

    Attachment 294116


    Attachment 294117

    But, despite the pain of shoveling, walking, and basically everything; I still love the snow!
    "Luck don't live out here. Wolves don't kill the unlucky deer; they kill the weak ones..." Jeremy Renner in Wind River

  2. #2
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Hmmm,,,, I like looking at it on those nature shows, and drawings of it on Christmas cards.
    In real life------ ahhh,,, not so much.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
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    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    Since I currently live in Louisiana I miss snow. Grow up in northern Illinois I am used to snow. Will are looking forward to moving back up north soon.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master kodiak1's Avatar
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    The older you get the less appealing it gets!!
    Ken.

    Be nice if it was better, but it could be worse

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Our local forecast is calling for up to 16". I guess we're not going anywhere tomorrow

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    I hope you get ALL of our allotment!

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    We've dodge the bullet the last few years in the snow dept,predicting 2-6" Friday. Frankly I think we're due for another Blizzard of 78.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master





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    Quote Originally Posted by SlippyRider View Post
    Youre a sick, sick man. I have to drive a tanker on 195 back and forth to Lewiston from Spokane regularly. The communist peoples republic of washington does a terrible job maintaining roads in winter. Winter is pure heck. Hope your dad feels better quick.
    I love driving in snow as well... Normal driving is too easy. But, when I ran a bulk truck for Ferrelgas back in the 90's, chaining up for every rural delivery was a pain.
    "Luck don't live out here. Wolves don't kill the unlucky deer; they kill the weak ones..." Jeremy Renner in Wind River

  9. #9
    USMC 77, USRA 79


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    Quote Originally Posted by kodiak1 View Post
    The older you get the less appealing it gets!!
    Hear Hear!!!!!
    Any technology not understood, can seem like Magic!!!

    I will love the Lord with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master


    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    Where I live now we get a lot of wet snow that melts, freezes into ice, before all melting and a few days later a repeat. I miss the cold, dry and much less slippery snow of interior Alaska. It didn’t snow that much where I was, but not a flake would melt until spring. I never had any problems with snow or ice when I lived in Alaska, but here I slipped and broke my leg!

  11. #11
    Boolit Master





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    Quote Originally Posted by SlippyRider View Post
    Youre a sick, sick man. I have to drive a tanker on 195 back and forth to Lewiston from Spokane regularly. The communist peoples republic of washington does a terrible job maintaining roads in winter. Winter is pure heck. Hope your dad feels better quick.
    I created a thread about the difference in road maintenance in Idaho and Washington...

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...12#post5329812
    "Luck don't live out here. Wolves don't kill the unlucky deer; they kill the weak ones..." Jeremy Renner in Wind River

  12. #12
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    I'd love to talk about the snow.

    I grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about the 3,000 ft. level. It snowed every winter, with 3 ft. on the ground being usual. We had no electricity, and it was my chore to chop the firewood and keep the house supplied. For the most part, the large, old house was never really warm. No one knew what insulation was back then. I see this year that they are having record setting snows-- guess it was a drought for several winters. Same here, actually, although we had 3 ft. of snow upon occasion there's usually more! I'll attach some photos. I'm a believer in "Climate Change." But it's a natural cycle, and like the late departed Mr. Limbaugh used to say, our presence on this earth amounts to a pimple on the butt of an elephant. Compared to the emissions of volcanos, etc., we have no significance at all.

    From there I went into Uncle Sam's Army and spent 3 years in the Infantry in Germany. Since it was the early '60s we were facing off against the Warsaw Pact. It was well known that the Rooskies like to fight in the snow, so we spent many days and weeks in the field in the middle of the German winters living in the snow, preparing us for the great onslaught of Eastern Barbarians that never came (thank the Good Lord!). One night, in a military campground (really, a maneuver for many years) named "Hohenfels" I and a buddy came close to freezing to death. We were dug in high on a hillside, and it snowed all night. The area had been peppered for years with 81mm and 60mm mortar rounds, and there were many duds to be avoided sticking out of the ground like asparagus, but as it continued to snow it became less of a problem as they were buried in the snow.

    We had winter gear, but it was insufficient, and spent the night running up and down the hill trying to stay warm. It was interesting to see someone start up the hill, go slower and slower, then stop and go to sleep on their feet. Eventually they'd get cold enough to wake up and start moving uphill again. When I finally returned stateside I lived by the ocean for many years, and vowed never to again live in snow.

    But, you know, where the good guys find enjoyment, so do the bad guys, and the crime and drugs became unbearable. I did a lot of searching and thinking about the situation, and concluded that I needed to move away from the humanity I found to be objectionable. Leave the climate and scenic paradise in which I was living and find something better. Upon reflection, I realized that living in the mountains and heating with firewood had been the better part of my life. But snow comes with the mountains, part of the deal. Finally, I realized that if you don't have to go out into the winter, the snow needn't effect you so much. Just as the squirrels store up food for the winter and have warm nests, if you have indoor hobbies like reading, enjoy DVD movies, and can do a little self-gunsmithing you can avoid freezing and insanity. Should I also mention periodic visits to the Castboolits Forum? It's enjoyable and entertaining to see what the many personalities that make up the Forum have to say on various subjects. Have made some very good friends here whom I'll probably never meet-- among them zarrinvz24 and Texas by God. I'll eventually run into you guys though....

    So, I went back into it with my eyes wide open. Snow is cold, can be a nuisance, and even fatal. But the bad guys don't like the snow. When it snows it becomes so quiet. It took me awhile to figure out that most of the missing noise is chirping birds. But, some stick around, and I feed them. The snow seals out the world and provides peace, time for reflection, and if you're fortunate enough to have a Mrs. with you, there's time to say, "I love you." I'll be age 80 this year, and I've come to terms with the snow.

    Many lessons learned along the way. Type of wood, type of stove, house is often 80 degrees and the Mrs. says, "Open the front door for awhile." She's disabled and likes to watch movies, so every visit to Bi-Mart I look for some new ones of which the censor (me) approves. Years and years of gun and history books. Satellite TV. Stored food enough for years. No water right now though, as the well went dry last August. Have to bring it in from town, 37 miles away, once every week or two.
    Over 300 dry wells in our county right now, and the Government seems uninterested. Enough snow for enough years and the wells may come back as the water table rises again.

    So, every speech should have a summary. As life went along I reached a realization that things you perceive as being annoying, like snow, can actually have equal benefits. I'm not of the Catholic Faith, but am in admiration of the name of a Catholic Church in Crescent, OR, named "Our Lady of the Snows".

    I thank God for the snow.

    Stay warm, my friends.

    DG

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    Woodpile in front of the house.

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    Woodpile behind the house.

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    Got to feed the critters.

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    How I get to the critter feeding area. You can see my ViaSat dish back along the trail, without which I couldn't post these photos.

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    If I need to get out for some reason, Kioti makes it possible!

    Photos 12/27/21

  13. #13
    Boolit Master



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    Nice setup

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub Keyman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GregLaROCHE View Post
    Where I live now we get a lot of wet snow that melts, freezes into ice, before all melting and a few days later a repeat. I miss the cold, dry and much less slippery snow of interior Alaska. It didn’t snow that much where I was, but not a flake would melt until spring. I never had any problems with snow or ice when I lived in Alaska, but here I slipped and broke my leg!
    Well.... Interior Bush Alaska has been having some of the worst winter weather. This winter 2021-2022 started with very cold weather, good for river freeze up, and then 40 degrees F. It has done the warm up 2 times so far. The jump is 30 below to 40 above F in 30 hours. I have seen this cycle happen in 10 hours, but not this winter, yet. Was down to -35F last night, and maybe only -30 tonight. We only shovel the steps, and pack snow to outhouse and wood shed.

  15. #15
    Boolit Mold
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    I grew up in Nebraska and we had Blizzards and snowdrifts to the roof. Colorado (The Western Slope), New Mexico and Upstate New York all had snow at Xmas .
    It's not Xmas without snow.
    It hasn't felt like Xmas in the last 25 years living in Missouri.
    I'm going to retire in a couple of years and move to Xmas either in Wyoming or Northwestern Montana , which is where I was born.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    The key to mentally surviving a long snowy winter is to find something to do outside.
    I'd go nuts without snow, deep snow. I have my vintage Alaskan wooden snowshoes (60"x 12" or something like that). Long, sleek, light and fast. Impresses the heck out of snowshoers with the metal Tubbs (I did break down and buy a pair for the not so deep snow). I also have a pair of off-trail cross country skis - shorter, wider and more stable than regular cross country skis.
    I don't even mind using my snowblower.
    I used to downhill ski quite a bit, but now it's crazy expensive, the Northeast skiers are getting rude and dangerous, and I don't think I'd survive a fall.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Ex New Yorker, moved to Louisiana and don't miss the snow one bit. Shoveled enough to last a life time. Frank

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Eureka Mt here,where we get the full 4 seasons of weather. It has snowed lightly several times since November and we now have about 10 or 12" on the flat. Very happy with the weather here. Feb is usually our heavy snow month and then it goes away.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by Keyman View Post
    Well.... Interior Bush Alaska has been having some of the worst winter weather. This winter 2021-2022 started with very cold weather, good for river freeze up, and then 40 degrees F. It has done the warm up 2 times so far. The jump is 30 below to 40 above F in 30 hours. I have seen this cycle happen in 10 hours, but not this winter, yet. Was down to -35F last night, and maybe only -30 tonight. We only shovel the steps, and pack snow to outhouse and wood shed.
    One of the places I used to live just made the news. I can tell you that I’ve seen it a lot colder than that around there.
    https://m.facebook.com/NWSFairbanks/...59885664840465

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thundarstick View Post
    I hope you get ALL of our allotment!
    A big a men to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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