To shovel the deck or not to shovel the deck?...

...That is the question.

We're supposed to get close to another foot of snow on top of the over two feet we already have (and what we have now clearly isn't melting).

Will our deck be able to take another beating? I'm especially attached to the little guy after the several days we spent last summer power washing and sealing the deck.

So, I did some research. I came across sites suggesting that I must shovel off my deck and others suggesting I must not.

Then I read that the Capital Weather Gang on washingtonpost.com recommend, "It wouldn't be a bad idea to shovel at least some of the snow off your deck or balcony." I trust journalists. I put on a pair of jeans, put my Adidas pants from ninth grade over them (they have an elastic waist), tucked my Adidas pants into my boots. I was all snow-geeked out. I went to work.

I was mainly concerned about shoveling off at least some of the deck because of all the snow building up in front of our deck door. Thanks to all the giant icicles dripping down from above, the snow right in front of the door is blanketed in a couple inches of ice and therefore didn't budge when I finally opened the door. I laid down a couple old towels just in case.

Then I surveyed the damage. We were supposed to go to the gym in T-minus 30 minutes.

 

  

Why am I the one shoveling? Because Matt did all the shoveling during the blizzard when I was conveniently not feeling well. Today I finally was ready for shoveling and going to the gym in the same day!

 

 

I showed the snow who is in charge.

Then I sweated through all my layers and got tired.

We actually made it to the gym, and post-gym Matt finished off the rest. Here he is picking up where I left off. And yes, we match -- we were clearly meant to be.

And 15 minutes later...

Yes, our deck intentionally still has snow on it, but the majority is off. Here's our advice:

1. Shovel your deck, but leave an inch or two of snow on the deck so that you reduce your chances of scratching the deck with your shovel.
2. Use a plastic shovel, which further reduces your chances of damaging your deck.
3. Pay attention to what's happening above you while you shovel. We didn't want to get hit with a giant icicle Grey's Anatomy-style while trying to clear the deck.

Now I can rest a little easier tonight when the next round of snow moves in.

Snow-inspired project

Snow is beautiful and it causes school to get canceled, so I can't complain, but snow can make your entryway pretty messy. We work around this problem by only entering our house through the garage when it's snowing or raining, but we know this is a nice luxury. If you're battling with a messy entryway thanks to winter weather, consider this clever, easy project from Martha Stewart:

Entryway-Organizing Ideas: Pebble-Filled Tray

Here's a photo to give you the idea. Click the link above for more details.

Tip 17: Snow shoveling

Well, it looks like technology week is merging with snow week, so I will continue to post on both subjects.

We've got well over two feet of snow today, and Matt has been our resident snow shoveler. He picked up this little tip from today's local news (that is apparently running 24-hour snow coverage):

Tip 17: When shoveling, coat your shovel in vegetable oil so that snow won't stick to it.

While Matt was outside doing the initial car clean off, I gathered the supplies:

• several tablespoons of canola oil (we don't use vegetable oil)
• a bowl
• a couple paper towels

Matt coated the shovel, and he has reported much greater ease shoveling with the oil-coated shovel as compared to the non-oiled shovel.

Happy shoveling, all you D.C.-area denizens!

Below, Matt with Doc, who is a 70-pound lab mix (to put things in perspective)

Below, the dogs enjoy a break in the tennis courts (Max, the black lab mix, is 85 pounds)