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To those who are snowbirds or southern residents year round, welcome to the world of hearty souls! We insist that winter makes us healthy, wealthy, and unwise (why else would we stick around here!)
First you need the basic tools of survival. A gas stove is a must! You can always use a match to light it and find something to cook, even if it's only a tea bag. For those with a well, you must have gallons of water on hand if the electric goes out. Toilets do not flush without something in the tank and if there's no electric, there's no flushee/ fillee! However, copious amounts of snow in the tank will work. It's o.k. to use 'yellow snow.'
Next, you must have a snowblower. This prepares you to clear the driveway in case of emergency. (Where you can go is another matter, depending on the depth of snow. Probably, no where.) I recall a knock at the back door once. Upon opening it, I saw a volunteer fireman. I asked , "Am I on fire?" He responded, "No, but can I cut through your house?" He had trudged through thigh- high/waist- high snow until he hit the tunnel a neighbor had made to my door. "Certainly," I said, "Hug the foundation at the front and stay behind the evergreens." Away he went. Three cheers for volunteer firemen!
You also need a snow rake. This lovely tool is a nice big aluminum blade and a long handle. Pull heavy snow off the roof to prevent ice jams or collapse of flat roofs from the heavy weight of the snow. Unfortunately you usually pull the snow down in front of a doorway or escape route and you must use your heart-healthy snow shovel to get back inside the house.
Knock the icicles from the gutters to prevent the extra weight in the gutters from pulling the gutters from the roof! Do not do this when the dog is out. The dog thinks icicles are a toy and he/she will stand in the fall lines.
Winter? We welcome it! Makes the spring so much more appreciated. Eat your hearts out, you snowbirds and year-round residents!
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