6 ms·

I live in Minnesota and do not own a snowblower. Probably my mistake, but I always joke that I get most of my exercise in the winter. Snow is really heavy for t

by donatj 10mo ago

I live in Minnesota and do not own a snowblower. Probably my mistake, but I always joke that I get most of my exercise in the winter. Snow is really heavy for those without context. A couple years ago we had a particularly bad snowfall. The plow has a nasty hate filled habit of dumping all its snow in my driveway. I had a drift at the end of my driveway about 4 feet high and 6 feet deep. Literally up to my chest. I had spent a solid hour just chipping away at it trying to get my car out and had made very little progress. Right as I was about to give up in frustration, a man in a bobcat drove by. Moments later he turned around, came back, and asked "would you like me to clear that for you?" I told him that would be amazing. Took him a couple minutes and then he waved and drove off before I got a chance to offer him any money or even thank him. I think about this guy pretty often, it's absolutely the random act of kindness in my life I have appreciated most. A recent lesser snowfall for context: https://imgur.com/a/1un20s7 https://imgur.com/a/1un20s7

Pikamander2 10mo ago
Plot twist: He just wanted an excuse to try out his new snowblower.
- bombcar 10mo ago
  There’s more of this than you might expect. First time I got to turn on my new Toro I went the entire way around the block.
  - brewtide 10mo ago
    The other side of the equation is my now dead toro had me covered in gas, frozen fingers, and plenty of swearing, with an itching desire to light it ablaze in the middle of the yard. Tis the cycle of snow blower ownership.
    - phil21 10mo ago
      That’s just an excuse to upgrade to the new hotness!
    - bombcar 10mo ago
      I have a firm suspicion that blowers last a number of seasons, not a number of runtime hours.
      - brewtide 10mo ago
        That's my take as well. Years 1 & 2 are always flawless, 3 may have a few situations and 4/5 start bringing the swearing causing problems. Naturally, I don't maintain it very well throughout the years, but always mean to. I'm sure mine needs a new carb / cleaned, but happen to have lots of cabinet work going on in the shop where it's warm and oil/gas isnt happening there at the moment. Maybe on a "nice" day I'll rip it apart outside. Or already eyeballing a new 'husky'!
- agos 10mo ago
  can you blame him? guy has a Bobcat!
- phyzome 10mo ago
  Plausible. When I got a new trailer for my bike that could haul 300 lbs I just wanted to find someone who needed a sofa moved for free.
- phil21 10mo ago
  Yep this is me. I get super pumped whenever we get a snowfall large enough to justify pulling out my ridiculously overkill snowblower. The entire block on both sides plus the alley gets done those days. Neighbors here at first were skeptical since I guess it’s not normal (it is in Minnesota - every block there has a hero) for the big city, but now I get treats from various houses that catch me doing it. I honestly do it for the pure joy of using awesome equipment I could otherwise nowhere remotely justify purchasing. Plus knowing I’m helping out my community in a small way is a nice bonus. Also helps me meet people and be social as an introvert.
lloydatkinson 10mo ago
I wish I could see the photo but I live in the UK…
- LadyCailin 10mo ago
  Don’t worry, both you and especially your children are safe from seeing the picture of the snowdrift.
  - Narciss 10mo ago
    LOL
- JadedBlueEyes 10mo ago
  https://rimgo.vern.cc/a/1un20s7 https://rimgo.vern.cc/a/1un20s7
  - lloydatkinson 10mo ago
    Thanks
fsckboy 10mo ago
>Snow is really heavy after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips, you'll change that assessment! (my email address was once inadvertently put on a mailing list for the planning of a bachelor party ski weekend, people I did not know or have any connection to, and that's the way they talked. i enjoyed it so much i didn't confess till they demanded to know why i hadn't RSVPed yet)
- dtgriscom 10mo ago
  > after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips Translation, please?
  - fsckboy 10mo ago
    nar nar = from gnarly meant in the sense of "great" pow pow = is powder, powdery snow cuttin = skiing (i.e. leaving a trail behind you after cutting through the snow) freshies = means fresh, new; not clear in this context, it could refer to "fresh snow" or "fresh tracks" nippy nips = depth of snow is up to your nips (nipples) and you are cold/excited/goosebumps so your nips are nippy this is generalized "california surfer talk"; the type of western man who surfs also snowboards, dirt bikes, jet skis, etc as well as clings to a teenaged hangout burnout lifestyle
Neywiny 10mo ago
Just be wary as you get older. The number of old men who die from heart attacks while shoveling snow is nonzero
- workfromspace 10mo ago
  Isn't "number of old men who die from heart attacks while doing anything is non zero"?
  - macintux 10mo ago
    Shoveling snow is a well-established high risk factor for older adults.
    - njarboe 10mo ago
      For fat people, getting over heated when doing things is generally the limiting factor on how strenuous one can push the body. In the cold you can exercise a lot harder before you get too hot, so the person can stress the body more than they usually would.
    - deleted 10mo ago
      [deleted]
  - phil21 10mo ago
    It’s the going from zero to 100 that gets folks it seems. Deep, heavy, wet snow is called heart attack snow for a reason. It sneaks up on you - a driveway you just cleared for years with normal snowfalls is all of a sudden a 10x workout from usual, and your brain doesn’t completely process this. Anything else at that level of intensity would likely trigger you to take breaks. That said - I think inactivity is far worse. But I still make a point to go shovel my elderly neighbors walks here in Chicago before they have a chance to do it when we get particularly deep snowfalls.
    - unyttigfjelltol 10mo ago
      In the cold. The exercise-plus-hypothermia combo is a bad one. Pick one, not both.[1] [1] https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/heart-care/prevent-hypothermia-heart-attacks-in-cold-weather/ https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/heart-care/prevent-hyp...
deleted 10mo ago
[deleted]
rogerrogerr 10mo ago
I'm convinced bobcats (used generically) are the single most versatile and useful platform ever created. They're fun to drive and you can solve most problems with them. Not optimally for any specific task, but if something needs to be pushed or lifted or moved or pulled or flattened or piled, you can find a way. An 863 with hi-flow 2 speed and a pivoting plow was the most ideal snowplow I've ever played with.
- dnemmers 10mo ago
  You’d likely be interested in the history of the Bobcat (tm) https://youtu.be/bfgEr-nPCv8?si=Q8dbWlLZcdyU2enj https://youtu.be/bfgEr-nPCv8?si=Q8dbWlLZcdyU2enj
emeril 10mo ago
prob time to get a snowblower
germinalphrase 10mo ago
If you shovel the curb on your street “up stream” from the plowing direction, it provides a place for the plow stream to go and significantly reduces the amount of soon-to-be rock hard snow you’ll have to clear from your driveway.

by donatj 10mo ago

Pikamander2 10mo ago

Plot twist: He just wanted an excuse to try out his new snowblower.

bombcar 10mo ago
There’s more of this than you might expect. First time I got to turn on my new Toro I went the entire way around the block.
- brewtide 10mo ago
  The other side of the equation is my now dead toro had me covered in gas, frozen fingers, and plenty of swearing, with an itching desire to light it ablaze in the middle of the yard. Tis the cycle of snow blower ownership.
  - phil21 10mo ago
    That’s just an excuse to upgrade to the new hotness!
  - bombcar 10mo ago
    I have a firm suspicion that blowers last a number of seasons, not a number of runtime hours.
    - brewtide 10mo ago
      That's my take as well. Years 1 & 2 are always flawless, 3 may have a few situations and 4/5 start bringing the swearing causing problems. Naturally, I don't maintain it very well throughout the years, but always mean to. I'm sure mine needs a new carb / cleaned, but happen to have lots of cabinet work going on in the shop where it's warm and oil/gas isnt happening there at the moment. Maybe on a "nice" day I'll rip it apart outside. Or already eyeballing a new 'husky'!
agos 10mo ago
can you blame him? guy has a Bobcat!
phyzome 10mo ago
Plausible. When I got a new trailer for my bike that could haul 300 lbs I just wanted to find someone who needed a sofa moved for free.
phil21 10mo ago
Yep this is me. I get super pumped whenever we get a snowfall large enough to justify pulling out my ridiculously overkill snowblower. The entire block on both sides plus the alley gets done those days. Neighbors here at first were skeptical since I guess it’s not normal (it is in Minnesota - every block there has a hero) for the big city, but now I get treats from various houses that catch me doing it. I honestly do it for the pure joy of using awesome equipment I could otherwise nowhere remotely justify purchasing. Plus knowing I’m helping out my community in a small way is a nice bonus. Also helps me meet people and be social as an introvert.

lloydatkinson 10mo ago

I wish I could see the photo but I live in the UK…

LadyCailin 10mo ago
Don’t worry, both you and especially your children are safe from seeing the picture of the snowdrift.
- Narciss 10mo ago
  LOL
JadedBlueEyes 10mo ago
https://rimgo.vern.cc/a/1un20s7 https://rimgo.vern.cc/a/1un20s7
- lloydatkinson 10mo ago
  Thanks

fsckboy 10mo ago

>Snow is really heavy after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips, you'll change that assessment! (my email address was once inadvertently put on a mailing list for the planning of a bachelor party ski weekend, people I did not know or have any connection to, and that's the way they talked. i enjoyed it so much i didn't confess till they demanded to know why i hadn't RSVPed yet)

dtgriscom 10mo ago
> after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips Translation, please?
- fsckboy 10mo ago
  nar nar = from gnarly meant in the sense of "great" pow pow = is powder, powdery snow cuttin = skiing (i.e. leaving a trail behind you after cutting through the snow) freshies = means fresh, new; not clear in this context, it could refer to "fresh snow" or "fresh tracks" nippy nips = depth of snow is up to your nips (nipples) and you are cold/excited/goosebumps so your nips are nippy this is generalized "california surfer talk"; the type of western man who surfs also snowboards, dirt bikes, jet skis, etc as well as clings to a teenaged hangout burnout lifestyle

Neywiny 10mo ago

Just be wary as you get older. The number of old men who die from heart attacks while shoveling snow is nonzero

workfromspace 10mo ago
Isn't "number of old men who die from heart attacks while doing anything is non zero"?
- macintux 10mo ago
  Shoveling snow is a well-established high risk factor for older adults.
  - njarboe 10mo ago
    For fat people, getting over heated when doing things is generally the limiting factor on how strenuous one can push the body. In the cold you can exercise a lot harder before you get too hot, so the person can stress the body more than they usually would.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
- phil21 10mo ago
  It’s the going from zero to 100 that gets folks it seems. Deep, heavy, wet snow is called heart attack snow for a reason. It sneaks up on you - a driveway you just cleared for years with normal snowfalls is all of a sudden a 10x workout from usual, and your brain doesn’t completely process this. Anything else at that level of intensity would likely trigger you to take breaks. That said - I think inactivity is far worse. But I still make a point to go shovel my elderly neighbors walks here in Chicago before they have a chance to do it when we get particularly deep snowfalls.
  - unyttigfjelltol 10mo ago
    In the cold. The exercise-plus-hypothermia combo is a bad one. Pick one, not both.[1] [1] https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/heart-care/prevent-hypothermia-heart-attacks-in-cold-weather/ https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/heart-care/prevent-hyp...

deleted 10mo ago

[deleted]

rogerrogerr 10mo ago

I'm convinced bobcats (used generically) are the single most versatile and useful platform ever created. They're fun to drive and you can solve most problems with them. Not optimally for any specific task, but if something needs to be pushed or lifted or moved or pulled or flattened or piled, you can find a way. An 863 with hi-flow 2 speed and a pivoting plow was the most ideal snowplow I've ever played with.

dnemmers 10mo ago
You’d likely be interested in the history of the Bobcat (tm) https://youtu.be/bfgEr-nPCv8?si=Q8dbWlLZcdyU2enj https://youtu.be/bfgEr-nPCv8?si=Q8dbWlLZcdyU2enj

emeril 10mo ago

prob time to get a snowblower

germinalphrase 10mo ago

If you shovel the curb on your street “up stream” from the plowing direction, it provides a place for the plow stream to go and significantly reduces the amount of soon-to-be rock hard snow you’ll have to clear from your driveway.