Winter Weather Conditions

First off - it's cold this morning at -29 degC. There's about as much snow on the ground as last February. For my roof, this is the third time I've had to work on it this year. The flat part of my roof (slight slope) had 20" (52cm) on it, as did the higher part up near the ridge on the steeper north-facing slope - where drifts form. All of that snow will be completely off the roof by noon-hour. My concern is always that the snow will eventually get wet and not only become heavier but will be very difficult to remove. So I try to keep ahead of problems.

Three absolutely necessary tools are: an ultra-lite aluminum curved handle shovel with sides on the blade; a sturdy aluminum roof-rake that bolts together; and a good quality portable snowblower that has electric start. Mine is a 24" Honda that fits through a door for protected inside storage.

The main road has been plowed 6 times to-date and that's slightly more than last year.

The lake formed slush on it early because of a lot of wet snow just after a patchy freeze-up. Too soon to even try to walk on the lake.