I live in Cleveland and began backpacking in Pennsylvania thirty years ago during the coldest, snowiest winter since the 70's. My buddy and I rented cheap snowshoes that were awful, that summer i mail ordered a pair of Atlas snowshoes when they first became available. I think I've used them twice since. That's why every time I hear someone griping about the winter, my suggestion is to buy skis or snowshoes because it'll never snow enough. Or to put it another way; buy these and you'll realize how infrequently we have snow on the ground. This winter has been an exception though, same thing with three years ago.
I too wanted to be a mountaineer! My friends and I even took a class on Mount Baker. It's a lot like being on a chain gang. You are tied into a rope with a few others and if you don't move in unison it can be frustrating. I settled on doing some pretty heavy duty backpacking, way more chill. Now I fly fish and just like backpacking, Ohio isn't the best place for it but I've learned to get over what I call "the grass is greener syndrome ".
Pick up a winter hobby. I look forward to winter now that I started steelhead fishing (it's a cold weather thing). Buy cross country skis or snowshoes and it'll never snow enough.
OP if you are concerned about frozen water lines a couple of tricks are to leave cabinet doors open under sinks or leave faucets cracked open so water trickles out slowly. If you have access panels to crawl spaces that contain water lines leave those open too.
Thanks for being a good person. It feels good doing something nice for someone, don't deny her that same good feeling. My suggestion is take the money and spend it on rock salt. I try to help people from time to time, my parents are 80. I can't be there for them all the time so my hope is that if I help others maybe fate/god/cthulhu will send someone to help them
Not me but a coworker. Worked for a food importer and distributor back in the early 90's and had never heard of needing any kind of certification to operate a forklift. Coworker who gave me a ride and got me stoned on the way to work every morning has a minor accident while on the tow motor. He is embarrassed and panics. Rather than stopping and taking a deep breath he tries to straighten out the error before the boss finds out and ends up puncturing the drywall above the office with the forks. It was 35 years ago, I still remember thinking how easily those forks could go through me
Am from NE Ohio and have never heard people driving on frozen lakes except to ice fish. We would do donuts in large parking lots. Bonus if you do it with the windows down. Bumper skiing was another one. Ah to be young and insane again...
Reminds me of joke in the movie Support Your Local Sheriff. Inside the saloon the sherif (James Garner) chastises the towns people inside "3 folks have been shot today and it's not even sundown". After he leaves the bartender says "you heard the sheriff, no shooting anyone until after dark"
There are plenty of videos out there on body language or "non verbal communication". A common one which i picked up on long ago and to myself referred to as "the uppy/downy" look is what you want. It's a clue someone MIGHT be into you when they make eye contact, look away (usually down), then make eye contact again. Allegedly they are checking you out, looking away, then looking to see if you're still looking. It's fair to say it works both ways.
I live in Cleveland and began backpacking in Pennsylvania thirty years ago during the coldest, snowiest winter since the 70's. My buddy and I rented cheap snowshoes that were awful, that summer i mail ordered a pair of Atlas snowshoes when they first became available. I think I've used them twice since. That's why every time I hear someone griping about the winter, my suggestion is to buy skis or snowshoes because it'll never snow enough. Or to put it another way; buy these and you'll realize how infrequently we have snow on the ground. This winter has been an exception though, same thing with three years ago.
I too wanted to be a mountaineer! My friends and I even took a class on Mount Baker. It's a lot like being on a chain gang. You are tied into a rope with a few others and if you don't move in unison it can be frustrating. I settled on doing some pretty heavy duty backpacking, way more chill. Now I fly fish and just like backpacking, Ohio isn't the best place for it but I've learned to get over what I call "the grass is greener syndrome ".