I remember an electrical appliance we used for starting charcoal briquettes in the barbecue. You put in half of your briquettes, then lay down this loop attached to an electrical cord, and put in the the rest. It’s basically a heating element, so you plug it in, and it heats up the briquettes.

Apply this to snow: You’re expecting a storm (we are right now, anywhere from 6 to 16 inches), so you have something that looks like an electrical cord, but that puts out heat when you plug it in. Leave it turned off, let the snow fall, then plug it in in the morning. it puts out heat, and while you eat breakfast, your snow melts, and you can walk to your car without shoveling.

Maybe you need two, one for either side of the walkway.

You could also put them behind your car, on the driveway, where your tires will go, so you can drive out.

Maybe it’s a net between two of these cords, that melts the whole patch.

Another way to think of it: a waterproof outdoor heating pad. Or a drip hose that puts out heat instead of water.

Add an automatic timer so you can set it to start while you are still asleep. The other idea was a remote control, but a timer is better.

Alternative: do you put these on TOP of the snow instead of under it?

You also want to plan where the water will run off to. You don’t want it to refreeze and create an ice rink.

#2) We have these basic, plastic sleds, with a rope attached, for sledding. Leave these outside while it’s snowing, in a line behind your car’s tires. In the morning, grab the rope and drag off piles of snow!

Only problem is when it’s windy. Like what we are expecting today. They would fly off into your neighbor’s yard. So have to temporarily secure them.

Other problem is when your family calls you crazy for leaving sleds behind your car.

Skymall catalog, here I come!

“A smashing time in Truro” — CapeCodOnline.com 9/21/2009

I have to say. I am already missing the snow. No one around here thinks the same thing. Long-time Mass-Cape Codders included.

And this is the first time I have cared.

It’s because I started walking around in the woods behind our house. In the snow, it was more work. Also more exercise.

But now, it’s time for bugs. And stuff is going to grow. It’s going to make it tougher for my exploring. I’ve already found a couple of ticks on me. They can be bad news.

Oh well.

On the flip side, it will be interesting to see what the changes are like!

Where do you go when you want ideas for your next big speech? Watch this video to see brief clips of inspirational speeches from famous movies.

The Boston Globe published a town-by-town look at prices homes are selling at. Hyannis was down to a median $205,000, but Truro was up 11% and Wellfleet up 8%!

Is that good or bad? It sounded positive to know the value is still there. But I realized if you’re not selling any time soon, it just means property taxes will go up or at least you’ll get no break.

But it’s a good time to buy in some towns…

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Oh, it brings back memories…

Blueberries are on the bushes, finally, in Truro. It seems like we are the last ones to change seasons.

They’re still green overall, but yesterday and today I went on a couple of short runs and saw them changing color.

It’s been a long time since I did any running. I finally got interested in knowing more about the different trails behind our house. I did some searching and mapping on Google Maps, and found some trails off the beaten path/road.

My first day out, yesterday June 30, 2008, I came up alongside a fellow doing some walking. I asked if he knew about a trail off the main road that would circle back to where I started. He did, and we chatted for a bit as we walked. It turned out to be pretty easy to find and follow, and interesting.

Today I went a different route that he suggested, along the fire road and out toward the air force base. That was interesting too, with several offshoots that kept my interest going in a way that running on a treadmill can’t.

Shocking–I even didn’t bring along anything to listen to–and survived.

So the exploration keeps the interest going, and although I didn’t make it all the way to the cliff overlooking the shore, I discovered new stuff and had some ripe blueberries along the way. Wouldn’t Bear Grylls approve?

Tags: capecod, 2008, national seashore, truro, outer cape, outer cape cod, cape cod trails

I’ve upgraded the site and switched to this new theme…

Also, there’s a better Flickr photos plug-in in the sidebar. Plus you can see more photos on a photo page right on this site: http://www.prickitt.com/photos/

Here’s one from left field… I read that you can get nice sharp collars without the fuss of ironing. Just plug in a hair straightener, then press the fold of the collar down for few seconds at a time and iron the crease sharp.

If you really want to try this out, give it a shot with: HAI flat irons, FHI flat irons, or an Infrashine hair straightener.