Everyone in the mid-west OK

Chime in as soon as your power and ISP are back on!

Cheryl

"Cheryl Isaak" wrote in message
...
Chime in as soon as your power and ISP are back on!

Cheryl


I was trying to get in touch with an insurance company based in Iowa I need
some info from. When I finally got through there was a message stating that
there was minimal staff because of the weather and unless it was an
emergency, please call back when the weather clears. This is a very big
company so it must be really bad out there.

No problem here so far - it is actually above freezing and dripping.
But wait until the temps drop tonight! The ice already on everything
will be killer!

Pat in Illinois (Rock Island, actually)

Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Chime in as soon as your power and ISP are back on!

Cheryl

Lucille wrote:

I was trying to get in touch with an insurance company based in Iowa I need
some info from. When I finally got through there was a message stating that
there was minimal staff because of the weather and unless it was an
emergency, please call back when the weather clears. This is a very big
company so it must be really bad out there.



It is. I got snail mail from a friend in Iowa who was getting cabin
fever, bad enough to have to stay indoors for days on end, but with no
TV! (So she amused herself writing four pages by hand). And e-mail with
photos from a friend in Missouri, where they lost a lot of tree limbs
(but not their power), and her DH thinks at least one tree is going to
have to be taken down.

Hmmmmm, y'know, the one in Iowa did mention her phone was working, so
maybe I'll call her today and "keep her company", since they're supposed
to be having more Weather today.

--
Karen C - California
www.CFSfacts.org where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
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Here in mid-Missouri, the worst was actually Saturday night into
Sunday - anything outside had at least 1/2 inch of ice on it. Today,
it is 36 or so and raining and actually melting, but I worry about
after dark.

Our only problems were losing the DSL line on Sunday (fixed Monday)
and one of my dogs (the English setter) made himself sick - he
couldn't stand on the ice in the backyard. (The girl squats and seems
to handle ice and snow better overall all - must be those dainty
border collie paws). Once I figured it out, I took him out near the
bushes where he (gratefully) relieved himself.

Linda

We have been very lucky in Springfield, IL! Roads were bad on
Saturday and Sunday, but have been improving, and today it is melting
a bit. After dark the temperature will drop, so we may get more
freezing rain. We have NOT lost our power, thank goodness! And I
hope we don't lose it!

My dog has had her first rather relaxed day today. She was born with
a bum leg and generally gets around very well, but ice is a problem
for her. I put ice-melt on the steps for her, but she wants to
venture into the yard to do her jobs, and that has not been easy at
all, poor thing! She has been really stressed out over the ice, and
has been shedding like crazy, which happens when she's stressed. I am
hoping the weather folks are right and the end of the ice is
tonight.

Since I am retired I can stay at home during bad weather, and try to
be well-prepared with food, medicine, etc. Today I finally got the
car out and ran to the grocery store for fresh produce. I understand
there isn't a single bag of ice-melt stuff for sale anywhere in the
city, but they are expecting more to arrive tomorrow. I generally
wait until the end-of-season sales and stock up then, so I'm OK and
able to keep the back steps clear for the dog and the front steps
clear for the mail carrier.

It's been a real mess all over the Midwest US, but is getting better
now!

Mary wrote:
I understand
there isn't a single bag of ice-melt stuff for sale anywhere in the
city, but they are expecting more to arrive tomorrow.

It may be a question of terminology as I'm not sure what "ice-melt" is
but we've always used common salt to remove ice from the steps & paths.
Bruce

Cheryl Isaak wrote:
Chime in as soon as your power and ISP are back on!

Not horrible here in eastern Kansas. Northeast of Kansas City seems to
have gotten the worst of it for this area. St. Joseph, MO was entirely
without power for a time. We had a day off school, but the roads were
actually decent.

Karen E.

Bruce ) writes:
Mary wrote:
I understand
there isn't a single bag of ice-melt stuff for sale anywhere in the
city, but they are expecting more to arrive tomorrow.

It may be a question of terminology as I'm not sure what "ice-melt" is
but we've always used common salt to remove ice from the steps & paths.
Bruce

What is used in Canada is calcium chloride, cf sodium chloride is common
salt. One thing to consider is down to what temperature is it effective.
I use Urea, a very high nitrogen fertilizer, which does much less harm,
but is not good when it gets rather cold.

F.James Cripwell wrote:
Bruce ) writes:
Mary wrote:
I understand
there isn't a single bag of ice-melt stuff for sale anywhere in the
city, but they are expecting more to arrive tomorrow.
It may be a question of terminology as I'm not sure what "ice-melt" is
but we've always used common salt to remove ice from the steps & paths.
Bruce

What is used in Canada is calcium chloride, cf sodium chloride is common
salt. One thing to consider is down to what temperature is it effective.
I use Urea, a very high nitrogen fertilizer, which does much less harm,
but is not good when it gets rather cold.

When we have to use salt we use very little, just enough to remove ice
from the doorstep and one or two slippery bits on the path. If the
forecast is for widespread frost and/or snow then the local authority
send out lorries which go around the roads spreading a mixture of sand
and salt. Fortunately we don't get very much snow or frost up here, we
got far more (and more frequently) when we lived in England (Yorkshire
and Gloucestershire). In fact, the day we moved from Yorkshire to Orkney
(Jan 2004) the removal men had to dig away several inches of snow before
they could start taking stuff from the house into the removal van at the
end of the drive.
Bruce