Brrr!! Winter 2010 and Icycles

Well, it's officially winter, that means that as of today, December 27, 2010, we've had some snowfalls, some ice, and our trees are currently undergoing their annual winter pruning. That pruning of our deciduous (leaf bearing) trees is done on a rotational basis, in the winter, after all of that valuable, life giving and nutrient enriched sap has been pulled back by the trees and into their roots. Isn't nature amazing?

We now have lots of icicles forming as part of the normal freeze-thaw cycle, which we can expect to continue for the next 90 days.

The squirrels were extremely busy before the first snow fall, building their nests. The tree behind my building has just such a nest. It was originally quite large and sheltered two small grey squirrels. However, brisk winds blew and stripped away many of the leaves that comprised this aerial chalet. So that pair has since moved to find more spacious quarters, and a red squirrel has moved in, to take their place.

The squirrel spends time napping in the tree. I can imagine what he or she might be thinking:

This squirrel has become one of my companions here at BLMH. While I am doing the dishes, I frequently observe him taking a nap, curled and keeping warm.

The ice, and icicles, can be a problem. Residents are encouraged by the association to use the salt in the 55 gallon plastic container in each garage, to handle any patches on their entranceways and driveways. These patches inevitable form between normal plowing and pushing of snow. Crews were on site yesterday, cleaning driveways and entrances. However, they aren't our servants and perform a valuable service as part of our fees. So residents need to help out from time to time. (Yes, I do mean residents. Renters are expected to pitch-in, too. If you have any doubts, the board's promotion of the rights and benefits of residents should be a tip that there might also be responsibilities accompanying those rights, and there are!).

Of course, icicles will form from gutters, and also from other sloped roofing sections. Maintenance crews do make the rounds to knock these down, but if owners use a broom when the icicles are small, and not dangerous, that prevents the build-up of walls of ice, as can be seen in these pictures. Crews will also at times, brush snow from the roofs over the driveway entrances. However, this is not easy to do and might be dangerous.

Of course, the formation of ice on buildings is dependent on factors including orientation and amount of sun received on the roof each day. Presence or absence of gutters also doesn't always seem to matter. So some building have little ice, while others collect a lot!

However, some icicles can become very large, and that means, heavy and potentially dangerous. So avoid walking below them, or an ice curtain. The following shows several very large icicles. These are in an area where residents should not be walking. However, use care at all times, and common sense, at all times!

Comments, Corrections, Omissions, References

Note 1. Use care when walking the grounds, avoid vehicles in the streets, watch for icy patches and use the salt that the association makes available. That's why it is there!