We are having our third significant snowfall of the year, this one not having been predicted. (It was supposed to rain.) I am pretty well stuck indoors until it ends at 1 PM.
Folks I have talked to say that this is extremely unusual for November. I guess that's good since it has been a lot of work. Each time the driveway has almost been completely clear, we've been hit with another six or 8 inches.
The silver lining to this storm is that the next seven days are all going to have highs between 37° and 41°. If those days don't include more snow - and snow is always possible when the temperature is 39° or lower - then most of what's now falling will melt of its own accord. The only shoveling that absolutely has to be done is at the street - where the mailbox is, where the truck is parked and where the plows invariably build their walls of ice.
Someone suggested to me yesterday that I have the vehicles "undercoated." That's a new term to me, but probably not to most of you. I gather that it means having a mechanic clean and oil the underside of a vehicle to protect it from salt corrosion. I have no idea what it will cost or if it will last more than one winter, but since the truck only has 52,000 miles on it, it's probably worth doing. The van has 203,000 miles, and won't be driven much between now and spring. I don't think were going to pay anything to have its underside treated.
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