Tag: maine winter weather

Maine Winters, The Shoveling And Snow Plowing Under Control

Maine winter weather shoveling, snow plowing means watch and prepare for what’s in the forecast.

Except the open winters where a drought of the white stuff happens. For those in the blog post audience with no Maine winter experience, the wrong conclusion. It is easy to think no snow, warmer temperatures right?

Horses Waiting For Grain, An Apple Or Carrot. Winter Winds Down Slowly In Maine.

Don’t the two go hand in hand?

No snow can mean little precipitation combined with low frigid temperatures.

Your open, snow-less winters are the coldest and the outdoor recreation takes a hit. Less snow plowing and shoveling work outs.

But hard to down hill or cross country ski without the snow flakes piling up on the open ground. Good luck snow sledding without a blanket of white to lubricate the track slides and to steer with the carbide ski runners.

Snow is a house insulator believe it or not.

Those snow banks up against your Maine home foundation help protect it from the wind. Open winters with no snow means certain recreation increases. Ice fishing if temperatures stay at or below the freezing mark long enough keeps things chill. The winters with pretty much zip or too little snow make the other Maine outdoor sports kick it up a notch. Often we have the snow. Then lose it all due to an early spring thaw like weather pattern. Warm temperatures turn snow like Frosty to water that runs into the lakes, rivers, streams.

More bonfires, hot chocolate and spirited Maine ice skating pond hockey games in Maine open winters.

Ice fishing derbies to drilled the hole to open up the lake below angling. The ice arenas around that state

Hang On, Celebrate Winter in Maine. That’s What Moosestompers Is All About.

of Maine get higher hockey game attendance if the team is winning more than they are tying or losing games chasing the black circle.

In my small hometown of Houlton Maine, the first weekend in February is always Moose Stompers Weekend.

Waiting For Ice, For The Snow After That Signalling Maine Winter Has Arrived.

A celebration of winter started up at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone and re-ignited by town manager at the time Alan Bean.

Bean was the Loring air base colonel who mothballed the B-52 facility and applied the locks on the chain link perimeter fencing.

When how to handle and hopefully deter a nuclear war strategy changed. As the new weaponry came along and a change in the political winds happened. That suddenly reduced Northern Maine’s population roughly ten thousand service men and women calling Limestone, Caswell, Connor Plantation and other surrounding Aroostook County towns their home sweet home.

Moosestompers Weekend, January 31st through February 2nd 2020.

This one the 24th installment in my home town of Houlton Maine. I’ve worn the moose outfit that makes you slow, blind and hot. But climbing up the sliding hill and watching the snowmobile and horse drawn sleigh rides is family fun. We don’t hibernate and get out to celebrate Maine winter’s magic.

Watch a Moosestompers Maine Winter Celebration video.

But back to winter weather and how those not living in Maine wonder how and why do we do it.

When you wake up and overnight a new fresh fluffy layer of snow surrounds your yard and accumulates on your porches and in your drive and walk ways. We don’t feel marooned or stranded. We are prepared for winter, have experience removing it and driving on the plowed and sanded roadways. Put on the winter coat, zip it up high and grab your mittens and snow boots. Like everyone else in the neighborhood, the operation to clear the yard of snow begins in earnest. Watch a snow storm video that shows the process of how we in Maine deal with a storm.

Snow shoveling is a great work out employing upper and lower back especially.

Plus your abs, quads, shoulders and other muscles get to take part in the snow shoveling. White fluffy snow is balanced on the shovel load after load. The older, higher water content settling snow can be sliced into with the end of the shovel.

Maine Moose Tip Toeing Across Lake Ice. Hope Nothing Starts Cracking Under Those 4 Hooves.

Carving out the chunk you want to release from the snow bank. The one you can handle size wise and balance as you slide under and carry or toss it to where it needs to go. Easy on too heavy and lifting / twisting to avoid injury. Like lifting, the right way using your legs. Do the same with the shovel loads of snow when it is time to heave ho and here we go.

Snow in Maine, shoveling it is a great aerobic exercise.

Maybe more than you like with back to back snow storms but the satisfaction of a cleared walk and driveway couples with the calorie burns. How many calories does shoveling snow really chew up? Experts calculate 200 calories every 30 minutes is what snow shoveling causes inside your system.

Like most things in life, slow and steady is the pace to set shoveling snow.

Have the right length and size shovel matched to the operator. The kids pitch in and their smaller shovel size loads still add up as a family attacks and rearranges where the new snow goes. Snow scoops that slide and push under larger deep sections of snow are effective on driveways and hauled up ladders for long flat commercial roofs. A small storm of a couple inches or less can be handled easily with a snow scoop taking systematic runs. You will sleep better tonight with all that inhaled fresh Maine air. Trust me.

Singing Or Howlin’ Together. The Sound In Winter The Animals Make When Cornered. Heavy Snow Load Affect The Maine Wildlife.

Even the family dog plays in the new snow and the banks packed into place by the snow blowers and plows becomes the backyard fort. The snow tunnel dug out with shovel, hands and feet for the kid’s new play room.

Outdoor fresh air in Maine.

That will improve the appetite. No matter what age, everyone gets a healthy dose clearing the new snow and playing with it in it a variety of ways.

Pick up trucks marauding the small Maine in town streets, back road ways with blinking and revolving orange roof lights.

Their yellow, red and stainless steel snow plow blades angled and ready to drop and push the banks. The beep beep of backing up pay loaders and larger commercial truck mount snow blowers working their magic. Moving the snow out of the driveway and pushing it to the back of the in-town lot or well away from your country home and out buildings.

The big bucket machinery brought in at ninety dollars and up an hour to make short work of relocating large snow banks that become rock solid and more than an F150 can handle.

The industrial snow blowers and trucks with big wings cut through the heaviest of snow loads with ease. The snow plowing video above illustrates what a small Maine town looks like during and after a storm. How quickly it digs out and resumes to business as usual with a systematic snow removal attitude.

Slowly Fixed And The Land Worked To Feed The Family. Welcome To Maine!

Snow plowing with old worn out pick ups create a constant source of mechanical breakdowns when you need them the most. Snow plowing is hard on truck universal joints, electrical systems and all that picking up speed to ram and clear to push to make the banks.

If you are looking for an excuse to buy a new four wheel drive pickup with the plow and all the bells and whistles. Go for it.

Knock yourself out and convince the wife you need one. But every Tom, Dick and Harry in Maine has a plow or a cousin with one. For what it costs to plow out a driveway in my area, hire it done can make the more economic sense. But some love snow plowing. My Dad did.

His Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie or Glenn Miller cassette tape adding a music beat lowering the plow and pushing the Maine snow.

Your Little Brown Jug, In The Mood, etc with brass horns, clarinets and World War Two era dance music filling the pick up cab. As the 1999 Dodge four wheel drive pickup with now just turned 13,000 miles on the odometer continuing the snow plowing tradition around our Maine family farm property.

Snow plowing in Maine, those who have never done it think we are crazy.

Playful And In And Out Of The Long Open Winter Cold Lake Water. Otters Entertain!

But we live in a Northern tier state not unlike Michigan, New York, Wisconsin and the others along the Canadian border. Just like many of us are slaves to very big and long grassed lawns kept manicure with once or twice a week mowing rituals.

Snow plowing is in our blood and in Maine there are places like New Sweden, Stockholm, Denmark Maine with folks from those area of the World where snow is common place.

Don’t stay away and sample Maine in winter.

Come on up! Because the white snow makes all the difference in your Vacationland experience. Maine winter, we know how to handle the snow and it is a big part of our recreation and lifestyle.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

January 21, 2020
The Harvest Gold, Rust Red Color Of Fall Replaced By Maine Winter Weather Snow.

When the temperature in late November, early December is too warm, the Maine lawn and field grass stays green.

Too seasonally warm high temperatures of weather messes up the Christmas tree cutting too. That starts even earlier around Halloween. Too high temps out in the Christmas tree plantation when the cutting is done means lots of early spills. And the old spruce, fir or pine tree plastered with lights, garland, all those decorations peters out early.

Plays out long before the egg nog, divinity white fudge, coconut mocca balls and peanut brittle is finished up. When it’s time to pack up the ornaments, check off another December 25th sliding down the chimney surprise and that’s all she wrote for another ending year on the kitchen calendar.

Maine Is Real, Peaceful, Not Crowded.

Cold hardened Christmas trees keep better after harvest, and better withstand exposure to low temperatures.

No snow and dodging the weather dip in temperatures to cause it in Maine. Means no kick in the pants. To get those last fallen leaves raked or mulched or burned annual drill that is put off too.

Fall hangs on as trips to deer hunting camps in Maine stop. And the snow sleds, Jiffy ice auger for lake fishing and bags of rock salt get put in entry ways, on enclosed Maine home porches. To sprinkle and melt your walk ways, around your yard. Once the blanket of snow arrives one flake at a time and slip and slid ice ice baby is part of the outdoor winter maintenance.

Plowing that snow is debated the first storm in Maine when it is wet, the ground not yet frozen. Sometimes just let it be like the Beatles song suggests. Leave it alone, let there be a first level snow base to pack down, build on to protect the terra firma underneath. Unless your back enjoys more spring lawn yard work with the steel rake and wheel barrow. To collect, replant the torn up sod way over here that needs to be trotted back to the bald spot on the lot for the re-plugging like a divot up here.

Often there is not a need to mess with a couple inches because the ground is warm, the temperature often spikes up enough to have all the new snow melt away in a day or so. Problem solved.

False starts and stops like labor for a child happen with Maine winter snow handling. Until snow that finally lasts actually sticks around in Maine. But if you don’t plow the new wet snow and like farming judge the Maine weather patterns ahead wrong, bad things happen. Solid ice, concrete hard snow formations can make things difficult to clear and wing back to leave space for more snow to come. It becomes like moving rocks and boulders.

Walk Slowly When Ice Covers The Rockland Lighthouse Boulder Path. Especially When Wind Adds To The Challenge Pushing You Along.

Either way, wet heavy snow or solid glued, welded to the ground and one giant piece snow banks. Those are hard on whatever you use to plow or snow blow the early Christmas gift from the heavens.

Half frozen slushy watery snow. Great for snow ball fights. But the problem with early snow before frost starts to toughen up the landscape is the digging into the soil.

Depositing the scraped lawn and soil “shavings” into the roll over of snow with the angled plow. The plow truck operator can hoist the blade a little to try to easy does it push the snow in the driveway out over the soft lawn.

Cat Nap In Maine. The Snippets, Moments Are A String Of Magic.

But you need enough momentum to keep the heavy wet snow moving like little doggies being herded. In the direction you want off to both sides of a clogged Maine home driveway.

And that is where no matter how much you try, how careful you are, digging in to the lawn skimming can not be avoided. A bounce of the bucking force of pushing hard into the rolling snow. It pushing back as more piles up out front the Fisher or Meyers or Boss whatever brand winter snow plow used that makes a mess of things.

You study the weather channel, hope for warm or cold temperatures to know just how to handle what Jack Frost and Mother Nature dished up. Deposited working in tag team.

But the 32 degree temperature hovering and the waiting game just clearing the ends of the driveway where the state highway snow plows are vigilant keeping those major and side road arteries open.

That is the tough part. Of trying to do more than you need because if you don’t it will mean call in a pay loader time. Or extra stress on the equipment. Even lots of white fluffy light flake accumulations has it’s challenges to plow. But the ground underneath does not get scarred and scraped if you are easy does it plowing snow in Maine.

Christmas Reflections In Houlton Maine. Small Town Proud Makes The Holiday Colors Brighter, Spirits Higher.

Something you never think of if a shovel for snow removal around your house steps is a foreign operation where you hang your hat.

And it’s pass the sun screen time all the year round. In places where Santa adds wheel attachments to the sleigh runners to tool around the sunny south, southwest sections of the nation.

Where it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas involves sand, palm trees and the standard candy canes, mistletoe and ho ho home for the holidays red and green ribbons where the only snow happens when you defrost the freezer.

Hope you have been good, stay that way for a few more weeks. And get everything on your list for Christmas this year. Merry Christmas faithful Me In Maine Blog readers and Happy New Year while we’re at it extending holiday best wishes.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730 USA

December 2, 2016
Maine Weather, The First Winter Snowfall Excitement.

Someone new to Maine, an amateur with snow might think Maine winter weather is ho hum.

On part of the 1-2-3-4 season shift in Vacationland. But no, all four of the calendar quarters are special in Maine.

Sunshine Outside In Maine During Winter. We Dress Warm, Head Outside.

But winter in Maine, the snowfall that blankets the lay of the land first is always memorable.

Triggering recall of past memories over the holidays that roll in the end of the year especially.

Always wondered how does Santa and those flying deer keep from overheating, being overdressed or used to lower temperatures.

Even with a drink with fruit hanging off the side and the pleated flimsy umbrella atop the toothpick. That replaces the egg nog with the kick.

When setting down in a place like Miami Beach, somewhere with tan sand not white snow.

Driving in snow can seem akin to bunging jumping, parasailing or eating liver and onions to someone new to the sport. The new snow means find a local ski area. Dig out the five ice fishing orange tipped flags and head to a sufficiently frozen lake.

If the mercury has sat low enough in the glass long enough.

The whole nine yards about Maine weather. To snuff out the nasty myths about every Mainer owning a yipping dog sled team. Hibernating in an igloo and hunting polar bears. With only twenty minutes of daylight all winter. It is not the Bermuda Triangle of weather forecasts and climate patterns.

Snow Sledding, Ice Fishing, Pond Hockey Skating. Maine Winters Are Just As Special As The Other Three Seasons.

(Record ripping sound, silence) Maine is not that and more than winter to try on for seasons.

But let’s face it. Weather forecasts that match the day and night are critical to enjoying the surroundings. No matter where you hang your hat. Or lay your head in the bed.

So the first snow, we’ve had in in “The County” and like most of the early sprinters in the marathon, just a flash in the pan.

Melted by dusk. The warm soft ground has to slowly slip into shape for the winter snow plowing.

Unless you want the front, side and some of the rear lawn too. Ripped back, rolled like astro-turf. To make for more work in the spring. To patch the holes, rake the gravel and traction aiding sand. Used to keep from getting stuck in a rut, hung up on packed tightly snow in the under carriage of the snow machine.

Or broadcast liberally.

To keep from broken hip trips to the ER, then the operating theater to reset bones. Instead of to partake in another rendition of the Nutcracker or a school, church Christmas holiday musical presentation.

Maine Winter Weather, Snow Makes Maine Extra Special, More Personal. Not A Slew Of Tourists Hanging Around The Photo Ops.

The shovel is ready, hot chocolate too. Nothing to get in the way or to spoil the bright shiny paper, colored brilliant lights adding a glow inside and out over the Christmas season.

Leading into the raise the glass of bubbly to hoist high.

See the clear wavy reflections of what’s behind you. Where I think Mainers are more keen, aware, savor the moment.

Because you can hear yourself think in a place with all this space, untouched natural beauty that is all pure, unfiltered.

The further inland, north and west and east you go. To get more than an arm’s length from all those people on the other side of the the green bridge on the southern tip.

To toast the year that just got up and went. Faster it seems with time that goes by at an increased pace. To make way for the new one and all those new, same old New Year’s resolutions.

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730

December 1, 2015