In getting ready for a surgery recently, I had lots of folks ask if there was anything I needed before I would be laid up for at least 10 days? Im pretty good at pre planning lots of things from the cleaning to the food prep so that we have an easy time if I am to be out of commission for any time at all.
There was one thing that I needed that I couldn't get done, and Hubby was not seeing the need for what I was describing - his mind wasn't able to see my idear!
October 30, 2022
You see - We have this space at the bottom of the stairs to the front door, and in the winter this space gets a hole in it right at the bottom of the steps! The snow plow pushes snow around it but somehow it ends up being a hole (might be a Ike thing also....?)! The hole gets very icy - no matter what we do!
So the process is....slide into the hole - catch yourself on the wall - proceed up the stairs! Simple right?
Not so much when you are 80! Which some of the parents and one of the Grammas is!
This is the summer version of it and it works great - I can sweep the little patio and keep it clear of sand and gravel from coming in the house. But in the Winter everything gets a lot harder! Keeping the hole from forming in the front step is one of them.
So when the opportunity came to grab a pallet that the school had no use for, I raised my hand and then asked for help to get it into my car! The guys I asked were the woodshop teacher and one of the Special Ed teachers who is always willing to help. They asked me why I needed said pallet and when I told them, they made me this.....
Bottom of the stair hole destroyer complete with sand strips for good traction! No more sliding anywhere in this area!
We tried it this way first but the tractions strips and the holes in the sides work better the other way (like the first picture).
And thank goodness they did too, because last week started the Snowmageddon!
This is after just the first foot of snow fell, and you cant see my pallet step saver, but it is there and there is no hole in the bottom of the stairs.....
Snow still falling! No bottom of stair hole though!
Second foot of snow and I have swept these stairs a few times already!
Here we are after the third foot of snow fell and I have got it shoveled from the stairs and the pallet step! You cant see it but it is there and it has worked wonderfully to keep from having that hole at the bottom of the steps!
And yet another nearly foot of snow! We have had 4' total in the last week and we are scheduled to get even more this week! So thankful for no hole at the bottom of the steps!
Hubbys truck after the third round of snow fell and before the wind stopped and the main road was plowed. We had to wait until the main roads got plowed as the road coming to our house had drifted shut for a long stretch where it comes around the lake - completely closed!
Finally it quit snowing and blowing, and the plow guy was able to come and plow us out a bit. We got shoveled Hubbys truck out, the garbage box shoveled a path to, and almost got a path to the fuel barrel shoveled out, but the outside light kept going off, and it was getting dark so.....tomorrow we will tackle the rest of the fuel path and the path to the greenhouse. We will hope that the reports of 16" more snow this week are wrong - but they haven't been so far!
I just have to make it to this! Few more months!
Maybe it will get me in shape for gardening by doing all this shoveling?
I can only hope!
May you be warm, dry, may all your snow be very light, and may you have friends who are able to see your vision!
Blessed be!
