Winter Ice Safety Tips

By Toby Raymond
Published on December 7, 2009
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Livestock may need help with traction during particularly bad ice storms.
Livestock may need help with traction during particularly bad ice storms.
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Snow can insulate your garden from the ravages of sub-zero temperatures.
Snow can insulate your garden from the ravages of sub-zero temperatures.
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Freezing rain with wind can wreak havoc on trees and shrubs.
Freezing rain with wind can wreak havoc on trees and shrubs.
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Lovely and treacherous, ice-coated trees and roadways can injure.
Lovely and treacherous, ice-coated trees and roadways can injure.
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Brad Anderson
Brad Anderson
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Icicles can grow to sufficient size to weigh down branches and damage fences.
Icicles can grow to sufficient size to weigh down branches and damage fences.

With heartfelt conviction, if not absolute certainty, folks often say there are two seasons in Vermont: winter and construction. While many regions in the country can make similar claims, I would pit our Green Mountain State against any of them.

As a devoted horse mom and avid gardener who spends a virtual eternity chipping ice chunks out of water buckets and sheltering tender seedlings from the elements until what seems like the Fourth of July, I have joined the unspoken fellowship of country dwellers who have endured more than their share of blizzards and frozen water pipes.

Although it appears I have earned the dubious respect that comes from being resourceful, as evidenced by a slight nod from my “true” (fourth generation and beyond) Vermonter neighbors, I must confess to a feeling of pride at achieving such recognition as I grudgingly reacquaint myself with the rigors of cold- weather living. The most challenging aspect of the ordeal by far is coping with the ice. Unless you are engaged in a sport for which ice is required, there is little to recommend it – the potential hazards far exceed the fun to be experienced.

Nevertheless, you can combat the worst of it, starting with your cars.

Good tires

I have to get to the barn at least twice a day to take care of my crew – three hot-house-flower, off-the-track Thoroughbreds and two dogs – so getting stuck in a driveway that hasn’t been sanded yet or skidding into a snowbank is not an option. Having dedicated snow tires with studs has been a lifesaver, especially during storms, which have been prolific of late.

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