We’ve had a lot of snow and I’ve tried to stay on top of keeping the roof of the TV room cleared but I’ve spent so much time up with the girls since they went home that I must have missed a snowfall. I got home at dusk on Monday. The temps had gotten above freezing, which is always nice but snowmelt from the hill and the back deck was quickly turning the entire drive way to glare ice. I didn’t even try to get the van up the hill. Walking very carefully, I made it up to where we keep the cans of salt, grit and sand. Then I sanded as much of the steep part of the driveway as I could. Jay was at the hardware store, buying more salt and grit; he keeps track of that stuff as carefully as I keep track of the toilet paper and laundry detergent inside. I didn’t want him to have trouble getting up the drive when he got home. That little chore made me think of the roof, so I put on higher boots (you really don’t want to venture into the secret back yard in ankle boots) and went exploring.
Just as I feared, all the gutters were filled with ice. When your roof is prone to ice dams, you can’t allow any snow build up and I’d missed at least an inch or two while distracted by babies. I’ve written extensively how much I hate gutters but it’s my own dam fault I didn’t rip them down last summer, when it would have been easy. I raked off what little snow hadn’t melted when the sun was up, then went and got my ice-fightin’ tools.
I keep a claw hammer and an ice pick in a basket by the back door. They come in mighty handy in the winter. The basket also contains a pair of nylon stockings, to be filled with salt and laid in the gutters to prevent ice from building up but I’ve been too busy this winter to do that minor task. Again; my own fault. I could have saved myself some big trouble by taking the small trouble of filling the stockings but chose to use my time differently. I grabbed my choppers, my hammer and pick and went to work.
I find ice dam removal rewarding work. You couldn’t pay me enough to do it professionally but when its my own house at stake, I don’t mind. I like the exercise, fresh air and feeling of accomplishment that accompanies chopping out the ice, carving away at huge bergs of the stuff and tossing them into the back yard where they can melt harmlessly away, causing no damage to my roof, my ceilings or any of the stuff that may get caught in a leak. In the 25 years we’ve lived in this house, we’ve had ice dams destroy our ceilings twice. I don’t want to go through any of that ever again.
So I spent a pleasant hour on the roof, chopping away at the ice. It had been warm enough during the afternoon to make the underlayer of ice soft and most of the sheet was thin and easy to break. The gutters themselves were packed with ice but I was able to chop them down to levels that didn’t threaten the roofline. Meanwhile, I lovely pink sunset was happening over the park, where skaters took advantage of the warmer weather and filled the rink. The conditions were perfect for a fender bender: icy roads+distracting skaters, but I heard no telltale screech of tires or thump to indicate that any drivers had allowed their attention to stray too far from traffic.
I worked until my choppers were soaked through, my fingers were numb and the ice was chopped down to size.
Back in the house, I was just sorry that we have no radiators. How is one supposed to dry one’s mittens in a house with forced air heat? Good thing we have a fireplace with a hearth.
Today was even warmer. The sun was out and it looked like spring. It was 35 degrees! It would have been a perfect day for a long walk on the parkway but I followed the siren call of the babies. At this very moment, I’m surrounded by them.
BoopityBoop are sound asleep in their little rocking bassinets. They attacked their lunch over an hour ago, were changed, cleaned and burped. Their mom took a shower and is now napping while I listen to the two of them squeak, grunt and hiccup simultaneously. They’re noisy sleepers. What kills me is that they really do make the same noises, at the same time. Not a peep out of either of them for an hour, then five minutes while they grunt, stretch and toot in unison, then they both fall back into a sound sleep.
They’re the best.
This morning, Katie and I took the girls in for another check up. They’ve gained so much weight (7 and 8oz in seven days!) that their pediatrician declared Katie a Super Momma and said he didn’t need to see them again until they’re two months old. They’re both eating like troopers and getting stronger by the day.
People are fascinated by twins. Everyone who saw us hauling matching car seats into the medical center wanted a peek. At least two women told me my daughter was very lucky and they hoped she knew it
She knows it.