Icicles baby

Lots of icicles baby. I've been looking at icicles since I was a child, but never really observed them, as I did today. Some people had massive thick ones and others little itty bitty ones. Since I've known Nate, its the kind of question he would ask. Grandma how come you have such large icicles dripping from the back gutters? Why aren't they the same in the front of the house? Never thought about that before, possibly the suns exposure to the back of the house? If your reading this and know, clue me in. Interesting! Icicles come in all shapes and sizes, and you get what you get. Why? That is probably the best question anyone can ever ask. Why, why why?

The second question I would have is, will icicles result in an ice dam? We had one before, and it followed all those huge frozen ice cubes, which are beautifully designed to a point, dripping water drops down to the ground, as they develop in size. Looking carefully, the frozen snow extends the gutters, as they are full. We have wired gutters, and wired roof panels, which are heated in an effort to prevent the problem we had previously, and so far so good. Last week, while listening to a radio program, I heard someone say that icicles do no harm.

When Nate was at Old Sturbridge Village, he noticed that they didn't have gutters and wondered what was the difference? Looking down, as water was dripping across the entire building, I was able to explain to him that if the gutters were in place and functioning, the water would be channeled across and into a downspout which would be directed to run off the property.

Our neighbor across the street, woke up one morning to "fallen gutters." He doesn't have much confidence in them, saying that he wasn't going to replace them. He didn't for a while. Having the amount of snow we had, can do damage sometimes. I noticed that those who had solar panels, used a snow rake to remove piles of the accumulation to extract the sun's energy. Good luck with that, unless you have a ranch which is low to the ground. No-one in their right mind would venture to extend a ladder to any roof or gutter, unless it were an emergency. We simply must put up with the inconvenience, called winter. Should the snow be heavy, then other problems may occur, like collapsing rooftops. We are at the mercy of mother nature and our only recourse, if damage occurs, is restitution though our insurance policy.

The one thing we should not have to put up with though, is the ill-mannered driver on the road. I think they dream up lanes, where there aren't any. One such character today was tooting at us at the lights, because he could not get by. They expect you to put yourself in danger by taking up the other side of the road. (The area I'm talking about is on Central Street for those who live in our town). It is a single lane and has always been. The options are to go straight, left or right, when the light turns green, when it is your turn. Some, in good weather can get by on the right and turn right, when safe to do so. There are not two lanes, and when there is snow on the side of the road, you may have to wait.

A few days ago, I said, the biggest problems would be is where to put the snow. I was wrong. Road rage is. What is wrong with people? Also concerning, at any intersection, is when the snow has not been removed, and instead of a parking area, where there is snow, people take up space in a moving lane, forcing traffic to one lane instead of two. I'm speaking about a well-known church and intersection where there is a school. It can be extremely dangerous.

Lastly, someone tell me why they pile snow at the end of a street, leaving the driver with no visibility as to who is coming, especially where school buses stop? You know as well as I, drivers are not going to slow down, regardless of road conditions.

This is why most events are scheduled between Mother's Day to Labor Day. My doctor's appointments fall at this time of the year, when I encounter parking problems and the all the idiots on the road. Why do I do that?