Winter storm dilemma: Garage or no garage?

[Robin Garr]

So, here's our dilemma: If we put the car in the garage tonight, it will be fully protected from ice, but the geometry of our residential lot is a problem: We have to go down a fairly slanted gravel drive, then up a modestly steep side street before we reach level ground and a brined street. Also, if the power goes out, the garage isn't easy to open - you've got to yank an emergency release on the garage-door opener.

On the other hand, if I leave the car outside next to the kitchen door, it's on level ground and all set to blast right out, but I'll have to sand-blast the ice off the car before I can drive it.

I'm just hoping we skate (pun not intended) and don't get much ice. They're saying this won't be anything like last winter's ice storm, but then I notice they're not saying this quite as loud now.

Lay a piece of cardboard over your windshield, works everytime.

So, here's our dilemma: If we put the car in the garage tonight, it will be fully protected from ice, but the geometry of our residential lot is a problem: We have to go down a fairly slanted gravel drive, then up a modestly steep side street before we reach level ground and a brined street. Also, if the power goes out, the garage isn't easy to open - you've got to yank an emergency release on the garage-door opener.

On the other hand, if I leave the car outside next to the kitchen door, it's on level ground and all set to blast right out, but I'll have to sand-blast the ice off the car before I can drive it.

I'm just hoping we skate (pun not intended) and don't get much ice. They're saying this won't be anything like last winter's ice storm, but then I notice they're not saying this quite as loud now.

Here in the town of Garage Logic most of us would probably leave the car outside. Then in the morning we'd (A) fire 'er up, (B) crank the heat on full blast and then (C) go back inside and drink a pot of coffee while the ice melted. Then again, your being a native Louisvillian, you probably don't have any more business driving on snow covered roads then the rest of 'em do. In that case, forget "A" and "B" and just go right to "C".

Outside, remote starter FTW!

I dont know but it should be free of ice around noon or so, when I plan on getting up, screw driving on ice

Helpful Hints For Winter

* Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax
on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent
that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.
* Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol! Wipe the wipers with
a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make
badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.
* Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on it's way? Just fill a
spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all
your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar
contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water---preventing
water from freezing!
* Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz
cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper
towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber
* Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving
cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels.
Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial
defoggers.
* De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand
sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!

I have no idea if any of this works but it will give you something to do while you're waiting for your car to thaw out.

Thank you, Heloise.

Not too bad out here in GL today...Becky waited until about 9am to go into work, thus dodging the Louisville 500 on I-71. She called to tell me the roads were were no problem. I ran a few errands about noon and the roads were in excellent shape, as were all the parking lots I visited. So really, except for that candy ass mailman of ours not delivering today, it was kind of a non-event for us.

Hope everyone is fine, I know I give ya grief about this weather but ice is nothing to screw with...no matter where you learned to drive.

except for that candy ass mailman of ours not delivering today,

Newman...

except for that candy ass mailman of ours not delivering today,

Newman...

Sorry...it's a "hot button" for me. Damn guv'ment employees. Interestingly in 18 years of living in MN the mail never failed to run even once...and I'm talking blizzards, below zero temps, etc. It might be late but by the end of the day it was there. Here ? Every time there's an inch of frozen precipitation the jack offs park those trucks. Wimps.

Well...I got my mail yesterday. My subdivision streets were cleared as well. Maybe that's why I got my mail? Kudos to the City of Prospect!!

If the mail was only delivered 2 or 3 times/week, that would work for me.

Well...I got my mail yesterday. My subdivision streets were cleared as well. Maybe that's why I got my mail? Kudos to the City of Prospect!!

Oh, our roads were clear as well...and that's what get's my goat. I even went out and shoveled around ours and all the neighbors mailboxes, just so the little candy asses wouldn't have any excuse for non-delivery.

It's really not about -getting- mail. It's the principle of the whole damn thing...and not to make a world class issue of it, but it's kind of indicative of this "can't do" attitude that seems to be becoming so common. It just seems that instead of finding a -way- to get something done, some folks are looking for an excuse for NOT getting things done.

That is my curmudgeonly rant for the day.

Well...I got my mail yesterday. My subdivision streets were cleared as well. Maybe that's why I got my mail? Kudos to the City of Prospect!!

Oh, our roads were clear as well...and that's what get's my goat. I even went out and shoveled around ours and all the neighbors mailboxes, just so the little candy asses wouldn't have any excuse for non-delivery.

It's really not about -getting- mail. It's the principle of the whole damn thing...and not to make a world class issue of it, but it's kind of indicative of this "can't do" attitude that seems to be becoming so common. It just seems that instead of finding a -way- to get something done, some folks are looking for an excuse for NOT getting things done.

That is my curmudgeonly rant for the day.

I guess your mail carrier shouldn't be waiting for a Xmas tip from you?

That is my curmudgeonly rant for the day.

When'd you start limiting yourself to just the one?