topic Re: Shoveling 😡 in Community Chat

Shoveling 😡

QVCkitty1 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:31:03 GMT

I just came in from shoveling, and I'm over it. I can't believe I used to actually enjoy it. Now t takes so long, because I take breaks. Sorry about the whining, but I'm going to put my feet up and have some cocoa. ☕️ I had someone in place to take care of the snow, he was a no show. It gets harder and harder to find folks to do it, and I pay well. Rant over, at least it is a sunny day.

Re: Shoveling 😡

queendiva — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:37:46 GMT

@QVCkitty1: If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Snow Joe Ion snow blower, item V350060. Available cheaper elsewhere. I have had it for about 4 years. Beats the heck out of shoveling! Easy to use, not the least bit intimidating. Worth the investment if you get more than a few snowfalls per year.

I will be heading outside shortly to use mine.

Re: Shoveling 😡

blackhole99 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:39:31 GMT

At 75 my husband does very little shoveling and is outside now using the snow blower. We live in the woods and have a long lane that needs to be cleared before we can get out.

Re: Shoveling 😡

QVCkitty1 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:45:42 GMT

@queendiva wrote:
@QVCkitty1: If you can swing it, I highly recommend the Snow Joe Ion snow blower, item V350060. Available cheaper elsewhere. I have had it for about 4 years. Beats the heck out of shoveling! Easy to use, not the least bit intimidating. Worth the investment if you get more than a few snowfalls per year.
I will be heading outside shortly to use mine.

I truely hate machinery, and sold our big snow blower a few years ago. That Sno- Joe looks interesting, and It sounds like it would be light enough. Depending on others just doesn't work when the plows close up your driveway . LOL.

Re: Shoveling 😡

StylishLady — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:52:58 GMT

I don't misss it for sure. This was me helping DH dig out from a blizzard in 1993.

These days I'm working in my gardens in southwest Florida.

Re: Shoveling 😡

Peaches McPhee — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:57:08 GMT

I don't mind shoveling if it is not too deep and not too heavy. Last week we had over 2 feet, and this did not qualify as "not too deep".

Re: Shoveling 😡

SilleeMee — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:57:32 GMT

@QVCkitty1,

Take breaks! Don't over-do it. People get in trouble with this snow-shoveling thing. It's stressful on the heart, especially if you are not use to exercising in the cold temperature. Can be dangerous so take all the time you need . The snow is not going anywhere.

Re: Shoveling 😡

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:01:46 GMT

I shovelled yesterday and it went pretty quickly as the snow wasn't that really wet and heavy as lead kind that it sometimes is. If I recall correctly, 2 winters ago the snow was pretty relentless and lots of it and I worked much harder. Great exercise, though, as long as you don't have heart problems.

I am always surprised at how many people in the neighborhood don't even bother and leave their sidewalks and front walks covered, endangering those who have to deliver the mail and those who are just out walking. It's the law here to clear your walkways, but no one seems to enforce it.

Re: Shoveling 😡

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:02:56 GMT

@StylishLady wrote:
I don't misss it for sure. This was me helping DH dig out from a blizzard in 1993.
These days I'm working in my gardens in southwest Florida.

@StylishLady

You are stylish even whilst shovelling snow!

Re: Shoveling 😡

QVCkitty1 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:07:39 GMT

@QueenDanceALot wrote:
I shovelled yesterday and it went pretty quickly as the snow wasn't that really wet and heavy as lead kind that it sometimes is. If I recall correctly, 2 winters ago the snow was pretty relentless and lots of it and I worked much harder. Great exercise, though, as long as you don't have heart problems.

I am always surprised at how many people in the neighborhood don't even bother and leave their sidewalks and front walks covered, endangering those who have to deliver the mail and those who are just out walking. It's the law here to clear your walkways, but no one seems to enforce it.

I can't just leave it there, it would drive me crazy. We have an ordinance about clearing snow here also. Presumably, if you don't remove it , the village will and then bill you. I can't wait for the village.

Re: Shoveling 😡

LyndaGee — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:09:32 GMT

I don't mind shovelling when the snow is powdery. We live on a hill, and the front walk is downhill from the front door. So, I can just push it with the shovel to the driveway.

Re: Shoveling 😡

kitcat51 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:18:28 GMT

It takes me 4 hours to shovel a very long drive, wide apron & walk if it's fluffy, if it's heavy & deep then I do it over 2 days. Don't even get me started about the hard mound the snowplow causes at the drive, that can take over an hour to clear that mess. Ugg, it's a thankless job that has to be done but not happy I'm the one that has to do it! The cost of hiring someone can vary from $35. if you prepay for the season to $50. a plow & you're lucky if they show up. I've been looking at battery snowblowers but the cost verses me for free keeps me just looking for now but at 68, it sure would be nice. Take care shovelers & enjoy your hot cocoa @QVCkitty1.

Re: Shoveling 😡

Carmie — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:21:20 GMT

Almost everyone in our neighborhood has a snow blower. my DH has two of them. One is a light to medium duty and the other one is a monster.

All the guys go out around the same time and show off their machines and work away. They also do the driveways of a couple of older people or women who can’t shovel.

They were out around 7 am this morning. It has snowed since and we have about two more inches. I went out and cleaned off the car in the driveway. I used one of those Don Aslett’s rubber brooms. Wow, it works really well. I also used it to push the snow off of the deck and built deck furniture .

i pushed snow off of the front porch. This is a handy tool. When DH gets home, he can Snow blow the rest of the driveway.

We always seem to have a couple of snow blowers and lawn mowers in our shed. When my DH sees one that someone has put out for the trash, he picks it up.

In no time he has them running. He donates them to people in need. He has given many away. When he seems someone out shoveling and they are at the age where they shouldn’t be shoveling or they are struggling, he comes home and gets one out of the shed, cleans away their snow and lets them keep the snow blower.

We haven’t had too much snow this year yet, but I am looking forward to having an empty shed before spring gets here.

Stay safe everyone and don’t over do it. Eventually it will melt.

Re: Shoveling 😡

QueenDanceALot — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:32:33 GMT

@kitcat51 wrote:
It takes me 4 hours to shovel a very long drive, wide apron & walk if it's fluffy, if it's heavy & deep then I do it over 2 days. Don't even get me started about the hard mound the snowplow causes at the drive, that can take over an hour to clear that mess. Ugg, it's a thankless job that has to be done but not happy I'm the one that has to do it! The cost of hiring someone can vary from $35. if you prepay for the season to $50. a plow & you're lucky if they show up. I've been looking at battery snowblowers but the cost verses me for free keeps me just looking for now but at 68, it sure would be nice. Take care shovelers & enjoy your hot cocoa @QVCkitty1.

@kitcat51

My driveway slopes to the street and between the plow (if they even plow, which they often don't on my street) and people who park on the street when they could get off the road and park in their driveways, and the snow is either pushed back into my driveway entrance or plowed so far away because of the street parkers, I am always having to shovel into the middle of the street to get out of my driveway.

I am thankful, though, that I am able to do it. There are some kids that come through the neighborhood with shovels ready to make a few bucks, but so far I haven't needed to take them up on their offers.

Re: Shoveling 😡

Jordan2 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 19:53:12 GMT

I live in NYC and we got a big snow storm 2 weeks ago. I really feel your pain (no pun intended), it is very hard work. My mother is elderly so I'm outside by myself. My next door neighbor is 80ish, her son now lives with her ( fit and in his forties). I use to shovel for her when I could, I have done many favors for her (she has done nothing for me). You would think her son would help me out, you would think wrong! He said to me this last storm "you shovel good for a woman"! I shoveled better than he did.

Re: Shoveling 😡

Lipstickdiva — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:02:28 GMT

We have a snowblower that my DH uses. It's semi large but he can still use it to do the walkway to our porch and the sidewalks. If the snow is really deep, he has a plow on the front of a 4-wheeler he will use to just plow the driveway.

We have several ordinances here too about shoveling and snowblowing/plowing but unless someone complains, nothing gets done. Sidewalks are supposed to be cleared but often they aren't. To be honest, sometimes it's more of a hazard. When I walked my dog many times there was ice under the snow. If the snow was all removed, it was treacherous to walk across the ice. The snow provided some traction at least.

We also aren't supposed to remove the snow and pile it so it blocks the sidewalk but people do that all the time. I cannot tell you how many times I had to go from the sidewalk into the street walking my dog because people plowed everything so it was waist high blocking the sidewalk.

We also aren't allowed to plow, shovel or snowblow into the street.

Re: Shoveling 😡

QVCkitty1 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:02:51 GMT

@Jordan2 wrote:
I live in NYC and we got a big snow storm 2 weeks ago. I really feel your pain (no pun intended), it is very hard work. My mother is elderly so I'm outside by myself. My next door neighbor is 80ish, her son now lives with her ( fit and in his forties). I use to shovel for her when I could, I have done many favors for her (she has done nothing for me). You would think her son would help me out, you would think wrong! He said to me this last storm "you shovel good for a woman"! I shoveled better than he did.

He needed a shovel upside his head !!!

Re: Shoveling 😡

alliswell — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:02:59 GMT

@QueenDanceALot wrote:
@StylishLady wrote:
I don't misss it for sure. This was me helping DH dig out from a blizzard in 1993.
These days I'm working in my gardens in southwest Florida.

@StylishLady

You are stylish even whilst shovelling snow!

@QueenDanceALot @StylishLady

That's what I was thinking too!

Re: Shoveling 😡

Nataliesgramma — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:53:02 GMT

When the snow s heavy or deep....we use one of 2 snowblowers.......Hubby has a good LEAFblower that works great for light fluffy snow...

Re: Shoveling 😡

kitcat51 — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:54:10 GMT

Shovelers...that crazy looking Snow Joe Shovelution with the helper handle has worked for me, it's helped my back & cut a good 30 minutes off my shoveling time. The item is V34480, it's under $30.00 with free shipping. @QueenDanceALot I live in the country, no kids shovel around here but neighbors will stop as they drive by & tell me I shouldn't be shoveling at my age, when I reply I have another shovel for them to help they smile & wave as they hit the gas!