[AT] Spam> Hello

[Howard Fleming]

Having grown up 35? miles outside of DC (Purcellville, VA), this follows 
what I remember when I was younger.

I have friends that used to go ice skating on the creek next to their 
house back in the 60's all during the winter, and while it has gotten 
cold enough at times in the last 20+ or so years for this, it was the 
exception rather than the norm.

We use to put up snow fence along the main road, to help keep the snow 
off the road so the milk truck could get through.  I do not remember the 
last time I saw snow fence anywhere in this area in the last 20 years.

I always thought that the summers when I was a kid were cooler, but I 
chalked it up to getting older.  After this last summer I have decided 
that is (not entirely) the case.

Tractor reference.... :o).

I have a 1948 Ford 8N with the pull type John Deere blade to clear snow. 
  Found that in the last storm it will NOT handle 8 inches of snow, 
piles up under the tractor rather than slide off to the side.  Time to 
look for a Dearborn or Arps front blade (or get a new(er) tractor with a 
front end loader.

With a total of 30 inches (more or less), I did not even try to use it 
to clear the road, ended up shoveling it out by hand.

It has been one of those times that I really miss the 3020 and front end 
loader that we on the farm (father still has it, but it is a bit far to 
drive it 40 miles.... :o).  Also *really* miss the differential lock 
that the 3020 has (and the Ford 8N does not).

Howard


charliehill wrote:
> Ralph, it's a new experience for folks in DC if they are younger than about 
> 40 but the older folks have seen it before.  I think we are getting back 
> around the cycle to were we were in the 50's.  This year is the first time 
> the ground has been frozen here in a decade or more.   Not frozen like you 
> see but frozen down a few inches.  Back when I was a boy about 20 miles 
> north of my present home the swamps would freeze over thick enough that 100 
> lb boys could walk and slide on the ice and only occasionally break through. 
> Sometimes the creek and the river would freeze over.  To some of you the 
> creek or river freezing over doesn't sound like much but the river near my 
> house is 2 miles wide.  I've seen it frozen from bank to bank and once even 
> saw some wheel tracks out about 1/3 of the way over.  I don't know what made 
> them, only that they were there.  That  was close to 40 years ago.
> 
> Today it's bright and sunny here but the wind is blowing sustained 25 and 
> gusting to 50 and we reached a high of 41 very early this morning after a 
> warm rain yesterday.  It'll be below freezing by late afternoon if not 
> before.
> 
> Charlie