This blizzard and cold weather is going to put a serious crimp in my normal Xmas lights routine. I just went out in the snow and hung the lights on the split-rail fence around the side & back of the house (easy to reach but was post-holing along) and then got the lights hung around the back patio cover (not too hard to rreach with my ladder and the snow held the base firm). On the front of the house . . . I may be hosed for awhile. We have 2 stories and the first level gutter is easy enough to reach, but is pretty frozen up with snow & ice. Can't get the hangers in.

The second floor, I have to stand on the roof for part of it (it's easiest to stand up there for all of it) and it's not gonna be safe to be on the roof for who knows how long. Parts of it I can reach with an extension ladder, but I'm pretty sure I can't reach a significant portion that way--because it's recessed a bit in that portion. Had about 18 inches of snow on that first level. I have a roof rake and pulled a good amount of snow off. My hope is that it gets warm enough to heat up the shingles and melt that part off. But not sure how long that will take or if the weather will cooperate.

Eventually, I have to think it will melt enough before Christmas . . . but it might be a pretty short stretch to have them up. I should have been "that guy" and hung them up early when it was all sunny and warm. But it's NEVER like this, so I figured it was fine to wait.