Even more snow

This Winter has been a wimp snow-wise, compared to previous Winters. Yesterday we had our second measurable snowfall, little more than an inch. Still, it was enough to require cleaning the steps, porch and sidewalk, something I had to do at two houses.

The snow slowed down enough by 10:00 last night for it to make sense to start clearing it. I swept off our porch and steps here and lightly sprinkled them with de-icing pellets, since there was a thin veneer of ice under the snow. Then I went to my new house and used a shovel to scoop away the snow on my sidewalks and my neighbors' sidewalks on either side. After again sparingly sprinkling some pellets onto the sidewalks, I used a wimpy little dollar-store broom to sweep enough of the steps for me to get up and down easily. Then I pulled out a more substantial old wooden push-broom to finish the job - which it didn't, since the handle promptly snapped off at the head. I used the dollar-store broom to finish sweeping the steps there, then came back here to clean the sidewalks.

So today I had to stop at Sam's Club to make some purchases. Gas ($2.159/gallon, down about twenty cents in the last month), a good-quality push broom ($8.78), a decent-quality corn broom ($5.48), two two-packs of rubbing alcohol ($3.08 each - we were all out), and 50 lbs. of calcium chloride de-icing pellets ($17.48 - I used most of what we had left from last year yesterday.) Unplanned expenses, but necessary. We'll see what the rest of the Winter has in store for us!