Mailbox "Tickets" and other snow issues

We are learning new terms here these days. You will see icicles in the pictures below. They are everywhere around this town, on every house, building,etc. It is all the snow trying to melt, then refreezing. We decided the other day we should start knocking them down, because it can't be good for your roof. Colby is holding his "trophy" in the picture below. One icicle we knocked down must have weighed about 80 pounds. The 80 pounder fell on Colby's knee and left a bruise. I knocked one off and it hit me in the face. Maybe we are amused too easily, but it is a challenge to see if we are strong enough to knock them off. Our new term for the week is "ice damming". This occurs when the ice accumulates, clogs your gutters, and freezes. The water then begins to accumulate under your shingles and your roof will start to leak. This happened to us this past Sunday morning as we were getting ready to walk out the door to church. Colby said, "Uh, mom, there's water dropping down from the ceiling in the family room." I wasn't sure I quite believed he knew what he was talking about, but he did. Unfortunately we were unable to make it to church because there was cleanup to be done. We called the owners, who are so unbelievably kind, and they came over and their son knocked a good majority of the ice off the roof and taught us our new term. The leak has dried up, but they will have to do some work to the ceiling later on. We have decided that you get the best of both worlds living here:snow in winter and the beach in the summer!!

See the 3rd window? Terry was hanging out of it the other day knocking icicles down with a hammer. I was holding his belt loop and Colby had his feet. I don't think he would have fallen, but I am not willing to take any chances either. I was also worried about his head as these pieces fell down!!

Here is the driveway that has provided all the exercise as I shoveled it. My pants were a bit looser today, so it must be doing me some good!!

This is the pile we have accrued from our driveway as well as the plows clearing the road out front. You can see off to the side how it almost covered up our mailbox and newspaper boxes. This pile would come up to my chest if I were right in the middle, though it doesn't take much to do that!:)

I am finally able to see some of the bushes in the yard again!! January thaw is here!!

This is the first time in my adult life I have ever received one of these lovely pieces of paper. It comes with no fines, thankfully, but could mean my mail service will be put on hold until further notice, which means I have to stand in line at the one post office I have actually found in order to get my mail. No thank you. I have already stood in line way too much at that post office already. Terry said it is like a ticket. So, Colby and I were out there this morning before school started clearing a path for the postal service to deliver the mail. No notes in my box today!!