Hey, it’s been a long time since you did a question and answer session. What gives? Ah, welcome back, my faithful interlocutor! I take it you have some matters on which you are unclear. Begin positing forthwith!
What? Hi there! Start asking questions.
Oh, okay. So, is it the end of winter yet? Well, winter does not technically end until March 20, so we still have a ways to go.
Does this mean we could be in for more snow? Who knows? Predicting these things, while put forward as a science, often amounts to little more than a best guess. However, a good indication regarding the last snowfall of the year comes when you see the Village Crew out sweeping the grit off the streets.
Does that mean we’ve had our last snowfall? No, it means we’ve had our penultimate snowfall. When the crew sweeps the street of grit, it means we are pretty sure to have at least one more major dump of snow, which will necessitate the crew putting more grit down on the streets, which will then have to be swept up. I believe this is known as the Circle of Life.
I have to admit that I kind of like the snow covering my back yard. Is this because it hides the leaves you failed to rake up last fall?
How did you know? An inspired guess. However, you should know that yard waste is accepted, free of charge, at the transfer station at the Cache Creek landfill site.
Really? Yes. Before you get too excited, though, please understand that there is a difference between “yard waste” and “waste in your yard”. The former refers to organic material: leaves, branches, and dead plants. The latter refers to the dismembered washing machine, the non-functioning lawn mower, the punctured garden hose, the rotted flower planters, and the remaining pieces from a croquet set no one can remember buying that currently enliven your yard. There is a charge for taking these to the transfer station.
I look at my car and can’t actually remember what colour it should be. Is this normal? A winter’s-worth of snow, slush, rain, mud, and grit will do this to a vehicle. You should wash it as soon as possible, to get rid of the accumulated wear that will damage your vehicle’s paintwork.
Isn’t this kind of counter-productive, since as soon as I wash it there will be more stuff thrown at it? It’s your call. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be to get all that accumulated snow, slush, rain, mud, and grit off it. What you have to ask yourself is, how attached are you to your car’s paintwork? More importantly, how attached is your car’s paintwork to your car?
My Christmas lights are still up. Is that bad? Having your Christmas lights still up is fine; still turning them on, maybe not so much. Today’s LED lights can stay up year-round without damage; unlike the light bulbs of yore, which gradually flaked away paint until your red, green, and yellow lights were completely clear, which is actually trendy in some circles. So it’s your call.
Any last words of advice? Don’t put your snow shovel away; at least not until you’re certain winter is over.
When can I be certain of that? July.