"And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof."
um, make that a snow thrower......
I don't have a painting ready for posting tonight, but instead, I thought I would post a photo taken some years ago at our lake house in upstate NY. This snow fall occurred in 1998 I believe, and if you look carefully you will see my husband on the roof of the building. Yes, he has a small paddle blade snow thrower that he is using to clear off the back roof, as it's slope was not enough for the snow to slide off (and we always feared the weight of the snow would collapse the camp!).
We purchased this little place about 15 years ago. It was a small, modest 2 bedroom camp that had been converted to a year-round home (addition of a basement and a heating system). We have since had the entire outside modified, including the roof (adding a 2nd level), added a few rooms, insulated the heck out of the walls, and added a good wood-burning stove (which really helps with the heat). The biggest plus in all of this is that the roof is now a Gambrel design (barn shaped) and the structure is sound enough that it can withstand the weight of the snow. Average annual snowfall in our area of Adirondacks varies from 5-8 feet. And now my poor husband does not have to venture up on the roof with the snow thrower to clear it off (and I don't have to hold the ladder steady as he & machine get up there). We ain't getting any younger! If I can track down the photos of the renovation, I may post some here. It turned out to be quite an undertaking!
So as you stay inside this weekend & keep warm (forecast to be quite cold on the East Coast), think of this image and be thankful that you don't have to go up on the roof to clean it off! And for any of you that do have to do that kind of cleaning, I have only 2 words for you: Gambrel Roof!
4 comments:
What a blessing to have a summer home! I love upstate NY so much. I've been there several times when my husband worked for a company headquartered in Rochester. I've been there with some of the massive snowfalls too. Beautiful!
Great story, Nan. Keep warm and stay inside and paint, if you can. Cold and snow in the forecast here in the NW, too. Would love to see your renovation pics.
That was a lot of snow!! Good your husband doesn't have to get up there anymore...! Lovely post.
I was just enjoying the beautiful photo of snow on the trees and didn't notice your husband up there! Those of us in the south think the snow is beautiful and forget all the work there is involved after a snowfall. I like your story, too.
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