We’ve made it through the majority of the cold weather that came our way. I say the majority since the nights are still cold. Today we hit a high of 52 here at the house, but tonight is due to be 29. So we still have below freezing nights.
Today, in the warmth I took a walk around the yard, both front and back. I did this for a very specific reason. Since we had gotten rain, and freezing rain, and sleet, things that got wet from the rain had the opportunity to freeze. Since the sun has been out and the temperature has warmed, I looked around to see what areas still have ice. As you might expect, some areas of the roof still have patches of ice. That was pretty much expected and not something I will do anything about. They will eventually melt.
The areas I am looking at the most are areas around the yard that still have ice or left over sleet. Now the sleet pellets froze together so they almost look like snow, but they are frozen with a crust on top. I actually have areas on my driveway and front walk path that still have frozen iced over area. These area still slippery. But since so much has defrosted and melted, it also tells me that at this time of year these areas do not get much sun. Hmmmm. Something to think about and be aware of. Some small patches on my walk way to the house are slick, essentially black ice. I have some ice melt, safe for the dog, that I may use on those patches.
Now you may ask “why bother”? Well I bother because someone that isn’t looking could still slip on these small patches. My dog did today. Its easy to discount those little patches as nothing. But one of those patches is where I back my car out of the driveway. I figure it may be safer to use a melt for my safety than to wait for mother nature. The nights don’t hit the 40’s until just over a week from now. I’d rather melt them and feel safer than leave them as ice and just wait. Now I’m only going to spread ice melt where I walk, not on the mulch that is still frozen. I’m not walking n the mulch. But it has been interesting to look around and see what areas don’t get much sun, or not enough sun to melt ice at this time of year.
I stress this time of year since it would be different during another time of year. Right now my solar lights around my front walk path (an area with ice) don’t receive much sun. You can tell that by the fact they are not real bright at night. And that is way I did this walking around and making note of these still ice covered area.
Such a learning experience.