Mortgage Monday: Snow!

The weather forecast late last week was a bit of a reality check as we braced for our first major snow storm in the new house. Thankfully the oil company made a delivery (still hoping that they will call us beforehand next time) earlier in the week so that was one item off of our list. Thankfully we had previously discussed this scenario with our neighbors who assured us that they had never had any issues in the winter either with clearing or with regard to losing power. However, this feedback tends to be subjective and we were at that point without a snow blower or a generator.  

While I was able to find a snow blower for sale just before the storm hit us and we picked up a few supplies we were still wondering how things were going to progress especially since we still don’t have any means of emergency power. The big thing was what the snow and wind will do to not only the house but the hundreds of trees that surround us? Additionally, what will our road look like during the storm and immediately afterward? All of these things were running through our minds as the flakes began to fall late on Friday night.

By the time we got out of bed in the morning we noticed that there was already some progress made on our road despite not having hit the midpoint of the storm. Check one item off the list. With over a foot on the ground already it was also a good time to clear the driveway so that, the following day, the final cleanup would be manageable. A few hours later and we could easily make our way to the street… really glad we invested in a decent snow blower!

The following day was clear and sunny allowing us to survey the 25-30 inches covering our property. Thankfully, the light snow combined with the constant wind kept the whining trees and roof clear. After a full morning and early afternoon of snow removal (with a few breaks here and there to spend time with our son) we were completely dug out and I was ready to head into work the following morning.

Our first snow storm is now behind us and now we definitely know a few things that we didn’t a couple of weeks ago. Our power and cable remained connected for the duration and the plows went up and down our street about every 30 minutes. While it took some time to clear our massive driveway, it was completely manageable. However, I think we are going to look at a generator in the near future just in case. Add one more thing to the list of things we would like to do… a small addition considering all of the previous unknowns.