This ICE is driving me crazy.

[TomG]

Some people with a private road behind us heat with wood and dump the ashes on a couple of hills. Works great and the hills have pretty good grades. Does make a mess though. For small areas, sand works but can turn into armour plating. Pea gravel works better. Birdseed also works.

For larger areas, last year was a problem but not so much this year. Last year I thought about putting tire chains on the 1/2 ton, loading it heavy and going up and down the drive. I didn't have a box scraper last year, but I might have tried using the scarifiers to groove the ice. Somebody did say that a blade with spikes could be made for a rotary cutter, which could scarify ice if the cutter was run at A VERY LOW ENGINE RPM. That does seem a little extreme though.

I’ll note here in response to the surge protector comments that surge protectors do have a limited life span. Protecting against one big surge, or a bunch of little ones, eventually renders them useless. Some of the better protectors are self-testing, but it’s not a bad idea to replace units that have been used during a lightening strike.

 

[Bird]

Hmmm, TomG, mine has a "test" switch on it that I check periodically (not as often as I should probably), but I thought it was just to test the backup battery condition, although I'm not sure.

Bird

 

[DFB]

Thomas, good point about the problems associated with using ashes. Sounds like there might be some first hand experience with that./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif It could probably stain the concrete too. Sure, ashes are good for the lawn and garden. Do they keep moles away? That snow was wet and heavy here. Sure glad I had the loader. You said you saw a moose./w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif I've seen a few. Huge!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif My cousin hit one. Totalled her car. There's a growing population in VT these days.

 

[Thomas]

DFB,
I never try wood ashes in the garden,for I thought there would be to much acid from the ashes.
Far as moles...some years yes and other years no,maybe it depends when and how much ashes one lays down.

Like the bumper sticker says in NH..Brake For Moose It Could Save Your Life

When your out and about on your m/c take a ride up to moose alley,its locate just outside of Pittsburg,NH to the Canada border..bring a camrea.

All nine inches of fluffy snow over here..fun to plow./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Enjoy that warm sun..calling for low 30's over here. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[DFB]

Thomas, I've got a reference here that claims wood ash can be used as a substitute for lime. Its a source of potash(K) good for root growth. Yes the sun is nice today. Plan on washing the road salt off of my tractor. Outdoor faucet froze./w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif Thawing it out now. HEAR WATER RUNNING gotta go. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[ERNIEB]

TomG, Thanks for the info on surge protectors. I sure didn't know that. It does make sense.
One of the local TV/radio gardening experts in this area, said that for gardening purposes, ashes were trash. I can tell you this, my Grandfather, an immigrant from Alsace, would put ashes in his garden and in his fields. I can't say that it did any good, but it didn't seem to do any harm either.
Thomas, I get a real kick out of those moose stories. Maybe becuse they are so large, or maybe because they are such a ridiculous looking animal. I don't think I have ever seen one, live and in person. On TV, or the one hanging in the Moose lodge, is about it. I wonder why I have never seen one in a zoo? Anyway, fun stuff.

Ernie
"Do not be uneasy about me, I am among friends"
David Crockett 1836 (in a letter to his family)

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>I wonder why I have never seen one in a zoo?</font color=blue>

ErnieB, I hadn't really thought about it before, but I've visited lots of zoos and don't recall seeing moose in any but the ones in Anchorage and Fairbanks. When my youngest brother was on the Anchorage police department, he used to send me pictures of the police trying to chase a moose out of town every once in awhile. Quite interesting - and dangerous. I do believe moose may be the best eating of the wild game, though. Sure wish I had a freezer full of it./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

Bird, My brother in law was a guide in Alaska. Once he and my sister on a visit brought back some moose backstrap. I don't care for game at all. But that backstrap was darn good.
Yes, they can be very dangerous. I guess you have seen that film clip of an old guy being trampled to death by a moose cow. I think it was at a University, maybe Anchorage. Students had been harrassing her and her calf, and the old guy just got to close.

Ernie
"Do not be uneasy about me, I am among friends"
David Crockett 1836 (in a letter to his family)

 

[Thomas]

Bird,
Indeed moose are good eating,but there alot of work after one is harvest and to me its not really worth it.

Try a wild game dinner thats even better.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Bird]

Yep, Thomas, I don't think I'd care for the work involved in dressing out a moose. I heard lots of stories about that from my Dad and my two brothers while they were in Alaska.

And Ernie, I guess if you "season" stuff right, nearly anything's good eating. I'll never forget my wife telling me one afternoon that one of us needed to go to the grocery store to get (and she named several things including ground beef). That night we had homemade chili for supper and after supper, I told her I thought she said we were out of ground beef. She said, "We are." I asked, "Well, what did you make that chili with then?" And she said, "Half moose and half bear." Darned good chili, too!

Bird