What Else Can We Do?
Feb 10th, 2010 by Kathy
The tasks that await you in your yard and garden in February will depend upon where you live. However, for everyone here, in the Pittsburgh area, along with the huge chunk of the Eastern United States that just got covered with two or more feet of snow, I can make one blanket statement about your main outdoor chore now: just shovel! (As if you needed anyone to tell you that!)
Now, I happen to love all of this snow, and, for some reason, I thoroughly enjoy shoveling, which I did for more than five hours straight on Saturday. Naturally, though, there are some down sides to this weather. For one thing, it makes it difficult for wildlife to find food; so, besides filling my birdfeeders, I cleared the snow off my picnic table and put some ear corn and bread crumbs out for deer and squirrels. Because animals desperately need fresh water, too, I placed some shallow bowls of it on my patio chairs and tables.
Unfortunately, this storm has also caused many hardships for people, leaving millions without electricity (mine has been going off and on for days) and heat. Furthermore, shoveling, which is a great form of exercise, can also be dangerous for those who are not used to heavy physical activity, as it puts a sudden demand on the heart, and causes a rapid increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In fact, people who are normally sedentary can experience, in only a few minutes of shoveling, a rise in heart rate that’s higher than recommended during aerobics.
The situation can be made worse by the colder temperatures, which make it harder to breathe while working, thus putting extra strain on the body. Then, there are the risks of hypothermia and back injuries. Luckily, with the proper precautions, all of this is entirely preventable. For some people, that may mean no shoveling at all, while, for others, it can be a matter of making simple modifications, and going at the task slowly.
So, in my next blog, I will have some tips for protecting yourself while doing this chore. If you live anywhere in the already-dumped-upon areas, you’re going to need them, because another front is coming through, which is predicted to drop up to another foot of snow.
Yikes! It’s a good thing I really know how to shovel it!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
