Ice Ice Baby
I swear this is my last ice-related post. The ice started melting around noon today, and it’s mostly gone now. Plus I’m totally tapped out of catchy ice-related post subjects.
Yesterday was another “ice day,” spent sequestered in the house. We got even more sleet and freezing rain the previous night. To prove it, here’s another picture of my car with even bigger icicles hanging from it.
By yesterday afternoon I’d had enough of being stuck in the house and decided to go for a run, if only to breath some air that hadn’t cycled through the heating system 12 times. I know it sounds nuts, but as long as you bundle up, the cold isn’t bad when there’s no wind. I much prefer it to the heat in August. The asphalt roads were pretty much ice free, though the sidewalks, bridges, and everything else were still covered. I stayed in the road and had no problems except for almost losing it once crossing one of the little bridges on my running route. I don’t think anybody saw me do the whole “Frankenstein-helicopter-arms” thing, so no problem there.
While I was out, I must have passed at least ten people in their driveways, attempting to remove the ice from their vehicles. The ice was a good inch thick for most of them. They were employing all sorts of ice scrapers, brooms, buckets of water, ice picks, machetes, hammers, etc. to pummel their various vehicles.
But here’s the weird thing. Not one of them had started the engine of vehicle he/she was attempting to de-ice. Not one! WTF?? I did grow up in a more northern climate, so maybe I’m biased, but isn’t starting the engine sort of an intuitive first step?
Your basic automotive frozen precipitation removal process (learned from my Dad in the ‘70’s):
1. Start engine.
2. Turn defroster setting on “high.”
3. Go back in the house, drink coffee and wait until things start to melt.
4. Scrape until windows are clear enough to see through.
I did it this morning and it worked great. I’ve never tried it, but I’m pretty sure that if you skip steps 1 through 3, step 4 is going to be a real bitch. Come on, people, let’s use those brain cells!
Maybe this would be a good topic for the over-excited local newscasters next time we have an ice storm. Must go check to see if they have a suggestion box on their website…..
Yesterday was another “ice day,” spent sequestered in the house. We got even more sleet and freezing rain the previous night. To prove it, here’s another picture of my car with even bigger icicles hanging from it.
By yesterday afternoon I’d had enough of being stuck in the house and decided to go for a run, if only to breath some air that hadn’t cycled through the heating system 12 times. I know it sounds nuts, but as long as you bundle up, the cold isn’t bad when there’s no wind. I much prefer it to the heat in August. The asphalt roads were pretty much ice free, though the sidewalks, bridges, and everything else were still covered. I stayed in the road and had no problems except for almost losing it once crossing one of the little bridges on my running route. I don’t think anybody saw me do the whole “Frankenstein-helicopter-arms” thing, so no problem there.
While I was out, I must have passed at least ten people in their driveways, attempting to remove the ice from their vehicles. The ice was a good inch thick for most of them. They were employing all sorts of ice scrapers, brooms, buckets of water, ice picks, machetes, hammers, etc. to pummel their various vehicles.
But here’s the weird thing. Not one of them had started the engine of vehicle he/she was attempting to de-ice. Not one! WTF?? I did grow up in a more northern climate, so maybe I’m biased, but isn’t starting the engine sort of an intuitive first step?
Your basic automotive frozen precipitation removal process (learned from my Dad in the ‘70’s):
1. Start engine.
2. Turn defroster setting on “high.”
3. Go back in the house, drink coffee and wait until things start to melt.
4. Scrape until windows are clear enough to see through.
I did it this morning and it worked great. I’ve never tried it, but I’m pretty sure that if you skip steps 1 through 3, step 4 is going to be a real bitch. Come on, people, let’s use those brain cells!
Maybe this would be a good topic for the over-excited local newscasters next time we have an ice storm. Must go check to see if they have a suggestion box on their website…..
posted by Jill at 7:09 PM
9 Comments:
LMAO so so so true but....
I couldn't get the truck door open to start the dmned thing!
But a little hot water... an extention cord and a hair dryer later.. I WON! lol
We are finally melting too.. thank the stars!
I'll give you the ice storm. We don't get those here. An inch of ice sounds totally yucky on a car.
I always let my car warm up. It's technically against the law here (called "puffing") because it's supposed to increase pollution which in turn contributes to further global warming which means it isn't so cold and you don't need to let your car warm up.
I fail to see the problem here.
Ian
I wish I could show you a picture of MY car. It is covered in snow. It is surrounded by snow. And it lacks hubcaps because, several years ago, it lost its balance and skidded on some snow.
I hate winter.
Hello ex-Hoosier. It's finally winter here in Bloomington, yet we have no snow. Where in Indiana were you from?
Hey Jill, I take 37 South all the time to go to my hometown of Louisville (in reality, Jeffersonville, shhhh!)
I returned the favor. Good to have you at The Few!
I had to do a report on ice storms once. They're really interesting. But I would never wish for one, so sorry about the...uh...ice.
Jill,
Oh, I'm an IU alum. My friend The Collective is the Purdue Alum.
Nice icicles you got there. Does it normally get that way in Texas? Hope everyone's doing ok and staying warm. :)
See, all this is why I ride a bike. Well, this and the fact that my Volvo was murdered and I'm too poor to replace it. Too much backstory? Anyway...I don't have anything to scrape off. Or warm up. Or turn on. Wow...that sounds either really gross or really sad.
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