Snow and Retirement

[CuppaJoe]

Bad timing today. Went out onto the roof for daily ten minutes of sun; it was soooo warm, but I had a schedule to keep and didn't have time to go back and change into shorts and a tanktop, or less. We're not looking at a white Christmas here either, maybe heavy rain instead. I put in 28 years in the tundra and can conjure up the memories in a flash, blizzard winds pelting on any exposed flesh.... Pooh, tomorrow is Saturday and the 9 to 5ers may be out there in the sun; they tend to complain too much about stuff like work, barking dogs, noisy neighbors, things that don't interest me; nm, the weatherpeople say Monday will be like today. Get that on the calendar.

 

[RunningBum]

18-20 inches in my driveway this morning with another 5-10 inches coming today. Looks like a plow had been through in the last hour so I'm going to try to get out. I already shoveled all but right by the street in case the plow comes back before I go.

 

[Khan]

Just a bit of snow here, mostly didn't stick to roads.

Lived on the DC Beltway for ~20 months. Those folks don't get snow. Mother lived in Baltimore MD for a while in the '40s; she agreed with me.

 

[Goonie]

We had about 1 1/4" of snow overnight....most of it was melted off the cars, driveway, and sidewalks by the time I ventured out at about noon. I brushed off what little was left on the cars, and made a quick clean-up pass with a shovel on the drive and walks....total snow removal time about 10 minutes...including standing around watching the birds frolic around the feeders. The streets around town are all cleared off too!

It's a rough life here in the winter...but I coping OK....oh, and the first batch of Christmas cookies are in the oven!

 

[freebird5825]

It did not snow today in upstate NY. <prolonged silence>

Unimpressed?
I'll just dig out 2008 pics of snow piled up to approx navel height in the backyard.

 

[beowulf]

We are at about 24 inches in Reston, VA at 10 PM on Saturday. Snow is tapering off and nothing is moving on the streets in our development. Several schools have already announced they will be closed Monday, some Tuesday. This storm was a record breaker for our area. Listening to the scanner and hundreds, if not thousands of accidents. Picture is from mid-afternnon when it was light out. It's far worse now.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

We got about 8 inches of snow where I live in western PA. I did manage to make my play in Pittsburgh yesterday as the main roads were well-treated, and I just lumbered along in my SUV. We skipped dinner in town and grabbed something closer to home as I worried about the roads freezing at night. It is supposed to be cold but sunny here today with flurries and scattered snow showers the rest of the week.

 

[beowulf]

The view this morning. Waiting for the plows to come by.

 

[bbbamI]

Planning to retire sometime in 2010 - depending on when the stars align and when I can't take it anymore.

Does all that snow factor in the "I can't take it anymore" syndrome?

btw....lovely pictures...

 

[beowulf]

Thanks for the comment.

Yep, definitely a factor. It's not so bad if I didn't have to go anywhere, but the thought of the commute tomoorw is not pleasant . I may have to just make the decision my presence is not necessary to the proper functioning of the government.

AZ is a real possibility, but the summers there may be worse than the winters here. Snowbirding is always a possibility, but then I would first have to retire and then we are talking a lot of extra outflow. A real conundrum.

 

[bbbamI]

Hmmm...perhaps you could call in sick tomorrow...

I've lived in areas of snow and heat. I think I'll take the heat in TX (about 25 northeast of Dallas)...of course there are fire ants, etc.....

After you retire you'll have time to figure out what suits you.

 

[kumquat]

To quote and add on to the thread title: "Snow and Retirement" should not be used together. Let me outa here - please, pretty please-.

I've had good news and bad news so far this year. First the bad news, we've set record low temperatures of near -40 in early December. Now the good news, only a few inches of snow.

 

[beowulf]

Good news for all Feds in the greater DC area - the government is closed tomorrow. And I will me mainlining inuprofen tonight after all all the driveway and car clearing.

 

[Tesaje]

One last free snow day for me. Now only 5 more working days left.

 

[freebird5825]

It did not snow today in upstate NY. <prolonged silence>

Unimpressed?
I'll just dig out 2008 pics of snow piled up to approx navel height in the backyard.

2 days in a row of no snow. This is wierd.
I'm almost starting to feel guilty, seeing how folks in the MidAtlantic states got clobbered.
<1 second pause>
Ok, I got over it.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I lived in Tidewater VA from 1979-82 while my husband was in the Army, and I worked for a federal agency in Norfolk. At the first flurries the place was shut down for us civil servants, and we fled the premises like rats in a sinking ship so terrified were the locals of snow of any kind. Up here in western PA(other than the schools) a state of emergency would have to be announced before my state agency let us go. I keep a pillow and some cans of soup and tuna in my cube just in case I get stuck there some day.

 

[scrabbler1]

The New York City area got clobbered by snowstorm Saturday and Sunday. Long Island in particular got hit hard, especially its eastern half, with 2 feet of snow. I live in its western half (Nassau County) so we got only about 1 foot of snow.

I am soooooooo glad I don't have to endure the lousy commute on the trains to my (former) office in Jersey City, New Jersey. When I worked full-time in the 1980s and 1990s I had many horrible trips on the trains to my office (then in lower Manhattan). When I switched to part-time in 2001 I was spared many but not all the bad weather-related trips.

My car has been in an indoor parking garage spot in my apartment building since 1994 (just after that awful winter), so I have rarely had to dig it out of snow in the last 15 years.

Just glad I don't have to deal with any of this stuff with the commute any more.

 

[Walt34]

The view this morning. Waiting for the plows to come by.

We are soooo glad we finally got a house with a garage for that reason!

And Saturday also reminded me why the investment in an Ariens snow thrower was one I am happy to have made. We got about 18-24 inches depending on where one measures.

The Hagerstown (MD) Almanac forecasts a nasty winter. Yuck.

 

[Freein05]

We live in snow country and like it. The big reason being retired we just seat around the fire until the roads are plowed. I get out my trusty Honda snow blower clear the driveway and we can go if we want to.

I do feel sorry for the people around us who have to work. I am glad I do not have to drive to work when the roads are so bad.

 

[Goonie]

We live in snow country and like it. The big reason being retired we just seat around the fire until the roads are plowed. I get out my trusty Honda snow blower clear the driveway and we can go if we want to.

I do feel sorry for the people around us who have to work. I am glad I do not have to drive to work when the roads are so bad.

Yep...same here, though no fire to sit around, and I have a nice shiny new Toro instead of the Honda! Ha! We always have enough food and stuff in the house to last us for weeks (if not months), so there's no 'need' to get out in nasty weather or when the roads are bad....however, I usually venture out anyway just to go for coffee with the gang!

A waitress asked me this afternoon, what the heck I was doing out on a day like this! I said "A day like this!? This a walk in the park! Heck, it's 8° above zero, NO wind, and the sun is shining! I used to work outside in weather FAR WORSE than this....sub-zero, 20-30 mph winds, snow falling and blowing to 'white-out' conditions....working around and with water...poopy water....at night!!! For the first 15 years of my job!!!" (Plus being the newest guy on the crew, I was always the one in the hole with the hip-boots or chest-waders, rainsuit, and hardhat on!)

Now that I don't have to get out in it, I don't mind winter in the least! Besides, Spring will be here in only 77 more days!!!

 

[W2R]

Yep...same here, though no fire to sit around, and I have a nice shiny new Toro instead of the Honda! Ha! We always have enough food and stuff in the house to last us for weeks (if not months), so there's no 'need' to get out in nasty weather or when the roads are bad....however, I usually venture out anyway just to go for coffee with the gang!

A waitress asked me this afternoon, what the heck I was doing out on a day like this! I said "A day like this!? This a walk in the park! Heck, it's 8° above zero, NO wind, and the sun is shining! I used to work outside in weather FAR WORSE than this....sub-zero, 20-30 mph winds, snow falling and blowing to 'white-out' conditions....working around and with water...poopy water....at night!!! For the first 15 years of my job!!!" (Plus being the newest guy on the crew, I was always the one in the hole with the hip-boots or chest-waders, rainsuit, and hardhat on!)

Now that I don't have to get out in it, I don't mind winter in the least! Besides, Spring will be here in only 77 more days!!!

Goonie, you have EARNED your retirement, the hard way!!! Nobody in their right mind would ever begrudge you one penny of that ample but hard-earned pension. I am glad you can finally stay inside if you want to.

I like your preparations, having enough food and stuff in the house to last for weeks. That is what I am planning to do too, when we move north.

 

[Goonie]

......I like your preparations, having enough food and stuff in the house to last for weeks......

And enough gasoline to run the generator for several days continuously, or a couple of weeks intermittently....in case of power outages due to ice, wind, etc.

 

[W2R]

And enough gasoline to run the generator for several days continuously, or a couple of weeks intermittently....in case of power outages due to ice, wind, etc.

Luckily, Frank is planning to get a generator and so I can always walk over there and "camp out" during power outages. This is assuming we end up living very close to one another (as we are hoping). He is always prepared so he will have plenty of gas for it.

 

[bruce1]

Luckily, Frank is planning to get a generator and so I can always walk over there and "camp out" during power outages. This is assuming we end up living very close to one another (as we are hoping). He is always prepared so he will have plenty of gas for it.

A Kerosene heater or two is always handy in an extended power outage to make sure your pipes don't freeze. they will run for 12 to 24 hours on a fill up.

 

[Walt34]

And enough gasoline to run the generator for several days continuously, or a couple of weeks intermittently....in case of power outages due to ice, wind, etc.

I bought a generator after an ice storm left us without power for four days. Living with a woman who can't have her hair dryer and morning coffee is not fun!

So I got a Honda super-quiet model, transfer switch and stuff, and she was uncertain that it would be worth the expense. It was enough to run the gas furnace, refrigerator, TV, computer, and some lights. The first day I had everything hooked up she came home from work and I asked if she noticed anything unusual:

She: "No, I didn't."

Me: "Did you notice that ours is the only house on the block with lights on?"

Ha! I love vindication!