How I Caused the Great Blizzard!

Now that everyone has calmed down from the recent snowstorm, I have a confession to make: I caused the great blizzard! I didn't mean to cause this chaos. It was just an experiment that went wrong.

It started two winters ago after I shoveled the snow from a small snowstorm. With the prediction of another storm in two days, I decided to leave the snow shovel on my porch, ready for action.

When the storm hit, it was only flurries -- nothing to shovel. However another storm was predicted later in the week - a big one. Again I left the shovel on the porch. When this storm hit, it turned out to be only rain. Again I left the shovel on the porch. For the rest of the winter there wasn't enough snow to shovel.

So last year I decided to try an experiment. When the first snow of the season was predicted, out came the snow shovel. It stayed on my porch the entire winter. The total snow accumulation for last winter was only about eight inches. The presence of the snow shovel seemed effective in warding off big snow storms. Time after time, while the shovel was on the porch, either the snowstorm failed to arrive, or only an inch or two fell.

Perhaps this was a fair experiment. Sure, when the shovel was on the porch, we had little or no snow. But what would happen if the shovel remained far away from the porch? Would we have big snowstorms? So this year I left the shovel in the basement.

You know what happened last weekend: we got hit with a whopper of a storm! It wasn't even winter yet! So, I'm to blame for the blizzard. I didn't mean to cause such chaos. But I had to know if leaving a shovel on the porch can effectively ward of a snow storm.

I've been trying to figure out how the presence of a snow shovel on my porch keeps the snow from falling. The best I can come up with is that once a snowstorm sees that I'm prepared for it, the storm decides to save its snow for a place where people are not prepared. What's the point in dumping a foot or two of snow if people are ready to shovel it? Can someone come up with a better explanation for the effectiveness of the snow shovel on my porch?

So, I promise, really promise, that I'll take steps to ward of the snow all winter. To make up for the problems I caused by leaving my snow shovel in the basement, I'll leave two shovels on the porch. The picture below shows my current precaution against more snow.






Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com

How to Keep From Punching Your Neighbor!

So you just spent two hours shoveling out your car, that is, your second car, the one that's not in a numbered parking space. Your back hurts and you decide to go to the CVS for some aspirin.

When you return, a neighbor's car is parked in the space you just shoveled out. You look around and the only spots not taken are the ones that were not occupied before the storm hit; they are buried in a few feet of snow. It would take another two hours to shovel out any of these spaces.

Do you feel like punching your neighbor who cavalierly parked in "your" parking space? Technically, anyone can park in an unnumbered spot. But in this case, it would take a lot more nerve than I have to park in a spot that someone spent hours clearing.

So what can you do to keep some bozo from parking in the spot you broke your back to clear? One solution is to do what some people in my part of Inverness Forest do. Take a look at this picture:

No, it's not Santa's new sleigh. Santa is warning people not to park in that space. Someone has worked hard to clear that space. If you want to park in this area, clear off your own space.

Usually the things people put in the space to reserve it are a lot less colorful than this Santa I came across today. I've used an old milk crate with a pile of junk in it. The purpose is the same, but the person who came up with the Santa was much more imaginative.

And, if you arrive in our community and find a spot with Santa sitting on a chair, please don't move him to the sidewalk so you can park in that spot. You're asking for a punch in the nose!

Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com

Fun Holiday Show Opens in Potomac

Longtime readers of Inverness Forest Today will recall that I periodically write about local community theater productions that might be of interest to residents. Today I'd like to talk about the Potomac Theatre Company's production of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", which opened last night at the Blair Family Theater on the Bullis campus (less than a 10 minute drive from our community).

The music and lyrics were written by Meredith Willson, who also wrote "The Music Man" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", and is based on the classic movie, "Miracle on 34th Street". The music is performed by a live orchestra and features a large, talented cast. Kris Kringle (aka Santa Claus) is played by Potomac Theatre Company veteran Vin Kelly. Macy's Department store executive Doris Walker is played by Jessica May. Ex-marine turned lawyer, Fred Gaily, is played by another PTC veteran, Ken Kemp. The fourth lead, Doris's daughter, Susan Walker, is played by 12 year old Mary Sorensen. The leads are wonderful actors and singers and are backed by a large talented cast.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the show:

Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St. Nick in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, he must convince the child and her cynical divorced mother (the department store's special events director) that he's the genuine article. Susan Walker and her mother, Doris, live alone in New York in the 1960s. Doris works in an executive position at Macy's, and at the start of the musical is busy organizing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Susan meets an ex-marine named Fred Gaily, who takes it upon himself to rid her of her "realistic" outlook on life by taking her to see Santa Claus at Macy's. Kris (Santa) manages to win Susan over while love blooms between Fred and Doris. The second act sees Kris appearing in the New York Supreme Court, with Fred helping him defend his sanity. In the conclusion, Fred uses the Post Office to prove to the court (and the world) that Santa Claus does exist: Kris Kringle is he.

Tickets and directions can be found at the Potomac Theatre Company website:

http://www.potomactheatreco.org/

Anyone attending tonight's performance (Nov 21) is invited to a free wine and cheese party after the show in the theater lobby where you can meet the cast and crew. Tonight's show will start an hour earlier than normal, at 7:00 PM, to accommodate the party.

The show runs for three consecutive weekends.

Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com

How Do I Get Rid of My Leaves?

Inverness Resident John Smith sent me the following question in an email:

Are we allowed to push the leaves from our yard to the curb where they can be picked up by the landscape maintenance company when they do the leaves on the commons property or should the leaves from our yard be all placed in bags for pickup by the trash collection?

Thank you for your help.
John H. Smith

John's question is certainly timely. So I asked Sharlene Shugarman (board VP and heard of Landscaping) to answer John. Here is her response:

John,

Emerald Landscaping will pick up anyone’s leaves that are left at the curb. They put up their yellow signs at the entrances indicating when they will be coming around. They should be back 2 or 3 more times this season.

Sharlene

Thanks Sharlene for your help!

Inverness resident Adele Gravitz has a very good alternative suggestion. Here is her comment:

Of course, if you can mow over them you get-- "free mulch" ( Mulch has many uses. Some uses include retain moisture, warmth, retard weed growth, and appearance)

Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com

Survey of Contractors Used by Homeowners

I received the following email from Arthur Green, an Inverness Forest resident:

Am looking specifically for a structural engineer ..have a room in my model (similar to your end unit) where a floor is beginning to sag

Appreciated
arthur
Arthur E. Green

Arthur's email reminded me that our website used to have a list of contractors recommended by IFA homeowners. The list has not been maintained for many years and was removed because it was obsolete. I would like to create a new online list of contractor recommendations and make it available on the Inverness Forest Association website and here on Inverness Forest Today.

I would like to hear about your experiences, both good and bad, with contractors you've hired to do work inside your house and outside (roofers, landscaping, tree work, etc.). To make it easier for you, I've created a simple online form to fill out. I will compile your responses into an online database so that we can all benefit from your experiences.

You may fill out the form anonymously if you wish, although it would be helpful to homeowners if they knew who provided the information in case they have a question.

This is an ongoing project, so please fill out a copy of the form anytime you hire a contractor and wish to share your experience with the community. I have added a link to the Contractor Recommendation Form in the sidebar column on the right (under Inverness Links) so it will be easy to access the form anytime you visit Inverness Forest Today. I've also added a link to the list of your recommendations just below and called it "Contractor List." If someone else has provided information on a contractor you've used, you can still fill out the form to describe your experience with this contractor, which might be different.

Here is the link to the form:
Contractor Recommendation Form

If you can answer Arthur's question, please fill out the form and I'll pass on your information. In addition, I have received many questions about who to hire to do roof work. So if you had a roof installed/repaired on your house in the past several years, please click on the Contractor Recommendation Form link above and tell us about your experience.


Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com