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Post by shades on Nov 30, 2017 13:11:24 GMT
Dates to remember: -------------------- Monday 4th - National Cookie Day in the US Thursday 21st - The Winter Solstice
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Post by Bean on Nov 30, 2017 20:00:48 GMT
Bravo, Shades!
I think Jo will be along to add another date to your list soon!
And on that note, I'll update the forum banner too.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 1, 2017 8:44:35 GMT
Well done hunni! Love the Christmas banner Bean sweetie. WE'RE IN DECEMBER!!!!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Dec 1, 2017 8:47:41 GMT
The floodgates have opened!
It's so cold up here, and the pavements and roads are all so icy. Where were the gritters?!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 1, 2017 8:49:53 GMT
No snow or ice here hunni, I am sad to say.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Dec 1, 2017 8:54:48 GMT
We had some snow last night, but it was just a dusting. The kids were super excited though! This morning was less fun as it was impossible to walk safely and there have been quite a few traffic collisions, meaning the traffic is bad everywhere - hence me moaning about the lack of gritters!
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 1, 2017 21:05:37 GMT
What type of grit goes on the roads in the UK, Bean? We use a combination of sand and salt, one to coat the roads, and one to melt the snow/ice once the sun is on it long enough to melt any of the snow. We call those trucks sanders, and they've always used sand, even before they started mixing the salt with the sand. The openings are right to release sand and salt of certain sizes, so beach sand or play sand wouldn't work right, at all. Since you call them gritters, I'm just curious what constitutes grit. It really doesn't take much to make roads slick enough to cause a lot of accidents, especially in areas where people don't have winter tires on their vehicles. It snows and ices in the Southeastern US once in a while, and when it does, perfectly innocent roads become ribbons of evil, lol I'm glad the kids got some snow, and hope the roads were much better for the afternoon and evening commutes. Yes, December 25th comes to mind as a special date. Just saying The Christmas banner and icons would be nice. It is December, after all
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Post by Bean on Dec 2, 2017 9:02:25 GMT
I think ours spread rock salt (but we call it grit), the stuff pulled from the salt lakes like the one we visited in Spain this year. Depending on where it's come from, it might be already naturally contain some sand (it certainly looks like it does) and some places use a mixture of salt and sand.
The Christmas banner is up. I never did the smilies (I point blank refused as I never use the darn things!) so I'm not sure about those, but I'll have a look into it at some point!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 2, 2017 15:58:29 GMT
Snow and ice are lovely if you don't have to go out in them. Many people do not slow down when they are in their vehicles and the road is dangerous and they jeopardise everyone's lives too by being reckless. You are right Bean sweetie, I think they use salt which is mixed with a red something. Sometimes they forget about back roads like ours and it is impossible to get out.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 2, 2017 16:26:17 GMT
I thought it probably wasn't sand. We have enough different weather that often we only need a coat of sand over the ice. Also, we can't put the salt where it will wash off into a watershed of any kind, so there are a lot of places in rural areas where the salt can't be used. When my sister first moved to California, she found the state had snow plows they used to plow the rock/mud slide debris off the roads. California does get snow up in the northern mountains, but I thought it was a great use for the equipment
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Post by Bean on Dec 3, 2017 9:10:34 GMT
The salt is awful for the cars, especially older cars with any rust starting. But it does the job on the roads.
Our council don't stretch to side roads either. Our road occasionally gets done up to about halfway up because a guy from the council lives there, so manages to wangle it, but only as far as his house! We had some young female students next door to us one year, and they used to smile sweetly at him to get him to send the truck all the way up! It worked for a while, but not much longer when he realised it wasn't going to get him anywhere with them!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 3, 2017 17:55:26 GMT
Haha, love, I bet he was really disappointed. No, they don't bother with smaller roads although they are just a lethal. That is interesting Piggles love, I would never have guessed that they had snow in California.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 3, 2017 20:39:02 GMT
Municipalities have to plow/sand/salt all public roads. There are specs for public roads, and all roads that qualify as public, have to be maintained by the municipality. That's the law. That's why all municipalities are mapped out for salt/no salt routes, so what goes in which trucks can be planned in advance. Since the salt and sand are mixed together in most trucks, there has to be at least one truck with only sand, to spread on roads through watersheds. I don't know if you have watersheds, but they are places where the rain/snow melt takes water off the road and into a swamp, lake, brook, pond, etc. So the road sheds water into the surrounding water, which is then called a watershed.
I hope the councilor was single, or he was part of the typical problem. The girls should have simply told him have the truck do the whole road, or they'd report that he was having the truck to up to his house, and that would stop. We've had that happen here, too, with people on the board of selectmen having the town trucks plow/sand/salt their long driveways. They always get caught, and when they do, they're forced to resign under a black cloud, yet it never stops the next one from trying the same thing.
I don't know if the laws are the same for all states, as states have a lot of leeway on what they do an don't do. I know it's that way for all of the New England states.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 4, 2017 8:57:31 GMT
Different states have those own laws don't they love, they are like individual countries. You are right Bean sweetie, salt is lethal for cars so I am glad it is rarely used.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 4, 2017 17:54:52 GMT
Yes, Jo. That's why I call the EU the United States of Europe. There are some federal laws, just as there are some EU member laws, that all states or member countries are required to follow. Then there are all the laws each state or member country has to regulate life in that state.
You have one driver's license and plate/tag for the whole country. We have a different a driver's license and plate for each state. Both give the states a chance to customize them to represent something important about that state. A major children's game on long driving trips is to watch all the other vehicles, and try to count as many different states as possible. It keeps kids busy for hours.
It's also one of the reasons for the political divisiveness in the US, just as it is for political divisiveness in the EU. Each state/member country has its own way of doing things, and things that are important to them, alone, and they all think their agenda should be of primary importance to the EU or federal government. It makes it very hard to accomplish much, and very easy for members to take sides, and use that side taking as leverage to get what they want. There are some good aspects to staying as a single country, but I think, despite all of the problems, it's ultimately better to have the input and the resources from everyone, including immigrants. Yes, they take low level jobs away from locals, but long term, they bring so many new and often better ideas, that make life better for everyone.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 5, 2017 8:56:39 GMT
Thank you for explaining that to me Piggles hunni.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 5, 2017 18:37:20 GMT
We're getting some rain, so it's a gloomy day. Some sun tomorrow, but for now, I'm glad I have the grow lights, and the daylight bulbs to give the plants some sunlight. Not sure if we're slated to have any snow by Christmas, or not. Way too early to forecast that. I hope so, even if it doesn't last. It's just nice to see the ground coated with snow. Feels more Christmassy to me.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 6, 2017 9:06:23 GMT
Yes it does Piggles love. One year we had a permanent coating of snow for about a month which decided to disappear just before Christmas. It looked lovely though, if only it could have stayed there for a little longer.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 6, 2017 15:54:17 GMT
We've had the snow melt for Christmas, or not bother to fall at all. I know what you mean, Jo. Rain finally ended, and we have a little bit of blue sky. Should have more and more as the day goes on. Cold front moving in and staying for a while. Going to have a real winter feel, but it will be a great time to make soup, sauces or whatever else will help warm up the house Now to just keep the old body working well enough to do some cooking It will be a great chance for ski resorts to make snow, and we might have our first plowable snow by the middle of next week.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 7, 2017 9:38:42 GMT
He always decides to come at the wrong time doesn't he hunni, Mr Snow just can't get it right LOL?! Believe it or not, we have been forecast for snow this weekend and I think someone is having a joke with us down here. If it does arrive I think I will have to go for a lie-down Hugs JO xx
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