Puzzle Description:

C-mon Joe,rake that stone,and pour on the tar a little faster. This is one mother long driveway and i'd like to get done soon,cause i would like to see my wife and kids sometime this week.

#1: Aldege Cholette (aldege) on Jun 29, 2012 [SPOILER]

I decided to get my driveway and 4 car parking area paved before winter cause it would be hard to shovel that much driveway that is dirt and grass. I hired a company that lays down what is called chip seal,which is quarter inch stone mixed with tar. It looks like a grey stone driveway,but is smooth like an asphalt driveway. It doesn't reflect the heat like an asphalt one does. Because i'm so far out in the boonies(country),the company tries to get a few houses to do at a time,which cuts down their cost and makes it cheaper for the customer. The only bad thing is,these guys don't get to see their families for a week.:)

great idea Al...will it be smoothe enough to shovel snow?

whoa aldege,if your driveway is that long (and it sounds like it),get a plow attachment for your ride'em lawn mower or get a snowblower. my god man don't shovel!!

The guy tells me it will Tom,i'm skeptical,but it can't be worst then my old driveway,which was dirt,grass,stone and deep trenches.lol.:)

That's how Tennessee paves their highways. It looks pretty durable and efficient to me.

Yeah,i'm considering that Travis,however we all love shoveling snow so i might try the first winter without one and see how that works out.:)

love shoveling snow? what planet?
love making snow men & angels

When I lived in Denver, our house was on a large corner lot, and it took me an hour to shovel every day (sometimes more than once a day, because we were required by law to keep the sidewalk clear). After 5 years of that, we moved to Arizona, and I swore I would never shovel snow again.

That was just a sidewalk. I can't imagine a long driveway. I hope you just get the dang snowblower now, while they are on sale, and save your health and your time for your family.

Fantastic puzzle, by the way. Lots of fun to solve.

Tom,I would of thought that you,like me,would enjoy the physical work out that you get from shoveling snow. It feels wonderful when you go to bed at night,and pass out from exhaustion. It's the most glorious deep sleep ever,except for the great sleep you get after making love. Now making love,after shoveling snow,well now that's a deep sleep you just may not wake up from,lol.:)

Thx Teresa,but if i get it now,and never use it,than i've wasted all that money. What's the worst thing that could happen if i wait one season?,what i die of a heart attack?,so what,sweet relief my problems are over,i'll never have to shovel snow again.lol.:)

Good luck my friend, it's the North East!

rather see you go the other way pal :)

Hey my good friend Jota,o.k. so there could be a lot of snow.i'll deal with it. My biggest concern is can my snow shovels handle the task.lol.:)

I just enjoyed D and Violet! Awesome!

I enjoyed shoveling, kind of, and it was my primary form of winter exercise. We were on a cul-de-sac, so there were no sidewalks to clear.

We bought a snow thrower that was way to big for our house (we trusted the kid at Sears, who no doubt was thrilled to be selling to naive Southerners), and we sold it after the first winter to a guy who had a much larger property.

Auntie Jota,aren't those the sweetest pictures of your niece Destyny. I wish i could of got video of it for all of you. Her latest cute thing is she likes to lie on the floor,or sit up,with her hands in her moms Montreal Canadian slippers. I'll try to capture that on video for you. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.:)

Hopefully you didn't lose too much money on the transaction Kristen. When i was the super at that women's co-op that Niki lived in,i shoveled the sidewalks around the entire complex. They had a snowblower,but i refused to use it. :)

I think it is very ambitious of you to think about shovelling the whole driveway every time it snows! I have a feeling that the novelty is going to wear off quickly so maybe you should find out what Kristen did with that snowblower that was too big!

Thx Susan,apparently she already sold it,lol. I think i'll buy a blade attachment for the lawn tractor,just in case your right about the novelty wearing off,however i don't think it will. Keep in mind Susan,i'm retired,so i have time to do these things,and the physical activity,although very hard to do with my rheumatoid arthritis,keeps me from stiffening up and actually helps keep me limber. It takes me a long time to do things,but if i don't,i'll just seize up and will be in more pain. I need to stay young so i can enjoy doing things with Destyny as she grows up. It's also important to me to try and teach Niki's boys,that hard work is good for you,otherwise i don't think these boys will be able to survive in the real world once i'm gone.:)

We got a snowblower attachment for our lawn tractor last fall to clear our 200 foot long driveway, then we didn't get that much snow. I kind of like shoveling snow, as long as I can use one of those newer type shovels with the bent handle. But my old house with the 25 foot, 2 car wide driveway was about my limit. I'm glad we got a snowblower for this place.

How long is your driveway, Aldege?

Just to add some sage advice to all the other above ...ask if the snow level warrants a roof rake. In N.E Wisconsin it was part and parcel of the shoveling. Great puzzle, Aldege.

Our driveway is approximately 200 ft/long also Joel,and then there's a 4 car driveway at the back. There are 3 entranceways to the house,each with their own porch or deck,which of course i have to clear the snow off of.:)

A snow rake to clear the snow off of a steep roof? Is this because there is so much snow your worried about the roof caving in Nancy? Wow i hope i don't have to shovel the roof too.:)

Depending on the roofing material (e.g., asphalt shingles) and the amount of insulation, you may need to clear the snow from the edge of the roof to avoid getting ice dams. I had problems with that at my old house near Washington, DC. Had $12,000 damage in 1996, replaced a lot of drywall, as well as some hardwood floor, which meant that all the floor needed refinishing. Fortunately it was covered by insurance, except the deductible.

What's the pitch on your roof Aldege? We have a 12:2 steel roof and never have to worry about the snow sticking to it- you just have to be careful when it alls come sliding down at the same time!

This is such a fun puzzle. And never having to ever lift a snow shovel, I really enjoyed all the snow shoveling comments.
Still going to shovel this year (2013) Aldege?

Challenging. Nice use of color.

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