No Snow

For all the pseudo-attention I've given to having a functioning snow blower, I don't.  I've not gone to the garage to disassemble the engine or follow a YouTube on how to restore it so that it starts when I pull the crank.  Hardly even opened the garage door, let alone take the machine out to where I can work on it.

Despite my neglect, we've had no snow last season or this one.  It's not yet Groundhog Day, and it only takes one blizzard to cover a driveway enough to test my limits with a snow shovel, but so far it's really not dropped below freezing. I do not know if this is really part of global warming, and I have the shovels for when I need them.  And for the really deep snow, it's probably less expensive to hire a removal service than maintain my own gas device, though I've always gotten some satisfaction when I use it.

Maybe the snow will eventually cover my driveway before the next season.

Within My Shoveling Capacity

It snowed.  When attempting to retrieve the newspaper from the end of the driveway, which I could not find, though part of my morning ritual, I needed closed shoes.  The amount of snow came at the lower prediction of our SDS Weathermen.  A few shovel scoops for the walk.  Some brushing of the cars.  A little more effort on the driveway.  If our development's snow plow comes at all, the added burden remains within my shoveling capacity.

Still disheartened from the repetitive non-starts of my gas powered snow blower, it is time to just spend the $200 for an electric one.

Plodding Towards Winter

Been sleeping through my wrist alarm a couple of times this week.  The buzz seems less jolting, even when it arrives when I am already awake, too weak to interrupt my final snooze if I am not already awake.  When buzz appreciated I get up.  Looking out the window it's dark.  Retrieving the newspaper from the end of the driveway, it is not only dark but with a chill.  When I sleep through the signal, when I look to the window, light has begun.  My biological clock runs a little differently than my exogenous electronic reminder, though I tend to adapt quickly, perhaps even have a better day when I arise in response to the smartwatch.  

This is the final shabbos on Daylight Saving's Time for the season.  During my work years, I would make chicken before heading to work on Friday mornings during Standard Time.  I still might, though being retired, I could allot time for this in the late afternoon.  It seems better just to have it all done, awaiting assembly on a suitably set shabbos table, as candle lighting precedes customary meal times.  

My plants need some consideration.  I've mostly set the outdoor gardens for winter, plucking all plants but rosemary, sage, and parsley.  They can take their chances though I may cover the rosemary.  Front entrance containers leave me more options.  Next year my herbs will only be in containers except for sage and rosemary which do better in the backyard beds.  Those square foot gardens, whether or not they remain square foot patterns or go back to rows, will be allotted to vegetables.  Container mints seem indestructible.  Don't know about chives, which still look straggly enough to replant next year in a container with better drainage.  Parsley grows easily and can be replanted.  Container sage did not grow large enough to harvest.  Dill and thyme could have done better.  Maybe just leave them to nature and try again next spring.  

And then there's the snow blower.  A must this year, as it failed the one time I needed it.  My ability to use a snow shovel safely has passed.  I'm even willing to follow the repair suggestions on the internet or have it revived professionally.  Not willing, yet, to purchase and assemble a new one.

Winter clothing has been transferred except for the wooly hats and gloves.  And next week, Standard Time, the wrist alarm matches window daylight.

Reviving My Snowblower

We have our nor'easter in progress.  Blobs of wet snow have pelted our house and windows for a few hours.  Before it ends, the forecasters predict about six inches of accumulation.  It has not snowed here for just under a year and a half, though I do prep my snowblower early every December.  Last year it didn't start, but being no forecast of snow, I did not make a serious attempt to get it functioning.

As the weathermen gave us a heads up, I gave it another go, again unsuccessful.  But with forecasts never exceeding my capacity to shovel the driveway and walk, my efforts were lackluster.

This cannot go on indefinitely.  Eventually we will receive and amount that I cannot shovel, so I at least tried to learn how to do as much tinkering as I could myself.  Changing the oil was easy, though probably not necessary had I not opened the cap without making the oil reservoir vertical.  A stream gushed out.  I have no good estimate of how much so it was off to Pep Boys for another quart of the lowest priced 5-30W oil on their shelves.  I also bought some Gumout.

It may have been two years since I changed the gasoline, though I try to run the machine at the end of each season until it runs out of gas.  There was still a small residual.  After no successful cranking irrespective of where I placed the choke regulator, I poured in the Gumout hoping the crud will liquify enough to let some gas into the engine.  I waited the hour or two, then the next day.  No luck, not even a successful cranking, so I will need to remove and replace any residual gasoline.  Then the spark plug.  Last year I at least got a spark, though one that did not catch, so this is a long shot, though easy to do.  The next two checklist items bring me to the end of my skill.  I can probably figure out which hose connects the gas tank to the carburetor.  Removing it and cleaning it may be less straightforward I should be able to find the clamps.  Then opening the carburetor I can do, since there are a few screws that can be removed with a socket kit.  I can probe, probably squirt some WD 40.  I'm trying not to make another trip to small engine repair, but depending on how I do with shoveling a small amount and difficulty trouble shooting the machine, that may be where I am headed.