GOLLY, GOLLY, GOLLY!!!
Almost a full year since a posting on this blog. Some tangential references in the original blog (LifeAccording...) only.
It was very nice to have the path during the Winter and Spring, when the ground was either boggy or under snow. It was, however, the occasion for my only fall around the house so far, one replete with irony. We had some freezing rain (rain that falls through a sub-zero layer of air, becomes supercooled, then forms smooth ice where it comes to rest). Around 8 PM, I recalled that I had left my cell phone in the car and (for what reason I cannot guess - a case of 'What was I thinking?'), determined to go out into the still, dark night to retrieve it. Of course I slipped and fell onto my back, with a slight bump of the head on my nice slippery concrete path. Lying there in the darkness, once sure I was OK, I pondered how, had I been properly hurt, late at night, no one about, how convenient it would have been to have a cell phone to call for help. Hmm, that would be the cell phone in my car, which, had I not attempted the retrieve and fallen, would have had no need of! I think this is what some term a 'Wake Up Call' so I am making sure that, as I approach the doddering stage in the distant future, the house and grounds are safe.
In terms of heating during the colder months, the house actually performed better after all the work that Isaac did, in terms of winter heating bills, comparison with the average of gas used in my neighborhood (as set out on my gas bill), and comfort.
However that nice white steel roof, which works so well in the hot months to keep the house cool, turned out to have a down side in Winter. Snow is translucent so, when the sun is out, the roof warms, causing the lowest layer of snow to melt. Whereupon the entire layer of snow slides off the roof! A local avalanche! Even a little heat escaping into the roof space can cause this. Like with a real avalanche, when lovely soft snow falls and then suddenly comes to a halt (on my deck for instance), it turns almost into concrete!
Another effect is that the roof is now bare of snow, which happens to be an excellent insulator, resulting in greater loss of heat than compared with the snow in place. The answer is snow stoppers. Here is a picture to show what I mean.
Actually, the ones Daniel has installed on my roof a couple of weeks back, which is less steep than this, are plastic and there are four rows of them. I am hoping that this will keep a nice blanket of snow over most of the roof and that I will not have to shovel concrete-like snow, fallen from the roof, from off my deck.
Most of my time has been devoted to make the sun-room, my lower rear entrance, cosy for Winter. I redid the outside tiling and painted the inner surface of the dwarf wall with waterproof paint.
I will let you know how it all works out.
