Finally Snowed

I watched the first part, but could not stay up after 9 pm to see it really come down.
The forecast said 1.5 inches of snow.....

It really came down overnight. Most we have seen since moving up. I'm told that around 10 pm, it really came down in big, fat, slow flakes. Freddy saw it while I was away doing income work, but I haven't seen those big, slow-falling guys yet.

It's still a bit discombobulating how bright it all is with a layer of snow in the middle of the night.. I mean, just where does all this light actually come from??

Everything also smooths out.

Freddy is a real trooper.
I honesty think she sort of just loves shoveling snow!
We have both seen the snow compact into ice as soon as a car drives over it. Once it becomes compacted ice, it's REALLY hard to move, so she gets up when I do and helps clear the snow.
We got caught on the hop a bit this morning. We have a snow blower but had not used it, and the battery was not charged, so we hand shovelled it, taking turns.

Can't see it, but we put the covers on before we went to bed and are super glad we did.
The muffs go over the mirrors, and then the main cover, you can see the straps come down to the wheels.
Once you use the brush to get the worst off while the car is running, you just lift off the cover, and the windscreen and wipers are clean and clear.
Worth. Every. Cent.

Meeting the snowplough crew on the way to work. Never a dull moment.

Really hard to get a feel from one photo, but it's pretty crazy driving on the unplowed roads. Had no trouble, just found the whole experience super surreal.

Not a bad view walking to the car in the afternoon.

I wanted to make sure we tested the battery snowblower out as soon as I got home to make sure it was good to go next time we need it.
I took a turn and then gave Freddy a blast.

Everyone said get a dual-stage blower, but we cheaped out and got a single, and I think it's going to be fine. It throws the stuff we get just fine.

The 80-volt battery does not have a great life, but again, we only have a small drive, two paths and perhaps the lane to do.

Both Freddy and I have bought strap-on rubber cleats for our boots, and you really do need them. Even walking on the path is dicey. Ok, if you are just going to the car to get in and drive off, but if you are shovelling or pushing the blower, it's super dicy if you are going to eat snow with pretty much every step.

It's a bit tough on the gravel; it keeps picking up the rocks and flicking them to the lawn, but even so, it was worth blowing this 'path'. The key is two fold, first up walking on less than inches of snow is just eaiser on the feet and less wet. Second, the sun, if there is any, really has less to melt and so where its thin from the blower is just all gone by the end of the day.
I think we are going to pave this path next year for sure.
If we could blow this in two passes next year, it would be a total game-changer for the grandson commute.

Case in point is the back pad from the shop.
(Check out the thicker apple tree cuttings we are drying and saving for a spring burn barrel).

Its suprising just how much a difference lowering the snow by 4 inches makes to walking back and forth.
I am not going to, but I'd love to cement a path between the two places, yes, across the lane... I mean, if it were subtle, I think it would be fine and last pretty well.
Sure, this year has been light on snow (so far), but in years past and I'm sure, in years to come, we can get many days of 6+ inches, to be able to clear the snow quickly, easily and safely between the two places is kind of important to me.
In the grand scheme of things, it really would not cost that much and yet make a huge quality-of-life winter bump to this little bloke, his mum and his grandmum.