Well, the weathermen and women finally got it right. After quite a bit of back and forth between “It’ll snow” and “Oops, we were kidding about snow”, we’ve had a few good fronts come through and the Treasure Valley is now a little winter wonderland.
While we are almost never prone to the storms of the Midwest or back east with their everyone owns a snow blower, get buried under 6 feet of snow issues, we do enjoy four distinct seasons and winter is finally here. Last night we saw about 4 inches fall in the valley. Unfortunately its the dry, hard to do anything with but shovel off your driveway variety. This past weekend, Saturday night I believe, we got an inch or two of good, slightly wet snow. Perfect for snowmen/snowballs and sledding.
Also up after a late start, the local ski resorts in McCall, Boise, and Sun Valley are all operational, at least partially. If the forcast for the rest of the week holds true (snow possible or likely each day) then we should have everything fully operational and ready to really enjoy all the winter sport activities available here in Idaho.
It’s been a rough holiday travel season for many with delays, flight cancellations and many people being stranded and forced to camp out in airport lobbies. My own brother-in-law had to walk 5 miles through snow & storm to catch a train after his bus broke down to get to the airport. He missed his flight and got to spend the night on the floor. Hopefully though, everyone will make it to where they are going and enjoy a warm holiday with good food and drink with family and friends.
Have a safe and happy holiday all and a very prosperous 2009.
With colder weather there are seasonal items that need to be addressed to prevent serious damage to your property. Some of these can be easy to overlook, especially when cold weather sneaks up on us earlier then expected. Somewhere around $100 of prevention could save you thousands of dollars down the road. Frozen pipes, flooding, under performing heating systems and general damages from ice are never something you want to deal with, especially when it’s freezing cold outside. Below are just a few easy to implement suggestions to help get your home ready for the season with a link to even more info.
1) Don’t forget to disconnect your hoses from the spouts around your home. Trapped water can cause serious issues; make sure that any hoses outside are disconnected as soon as possible.
2) Schedule to have your sprinklers blown out. Even when off, your sprinkler lines contain water which can freeze and split sprinkler lines. Any landscaping company will likely blow out the lines with a compressor for less than $30.
3) Clean those gutters! Leaves and dirt collect and clog gutters. Make sure that the gutters and downspouts are clear to control water run off. I just saw a hose attachment at Lowes for $25 to blast the gutters from the ground! Definitely beats climbing up on the roof.
4) Have your HVAC system inspected and cleaned. Be sure that you are replacing your furnace filters at least every 3 months to ensure operating efficiency and promote good indoor air quality. A new filter is white like fresh snowfall, after three months your filter is probably a dark gray (I know mine are). With energy costs on the rise having your furnace running at peak efficiency will save you $$.
You can get more information on good practices for winterizing your home at http://tinyurl.com/2o63ge
As an aside, it snowed here in Boise this afternoon. Apparently winter is just around the corner 
