The temperature has been hovering around zero degrees farenheit for the past week. Every day has been clear and cold. I took this picture yesterday and have taken a real interest in this Icicle.
I just measured it and it is 44 inches long.
One of the reasons I have taken an interest in it is because it is hanging off my rain gutter. I do not believe I did a terribly professional job of securing the rain gutter to the eve of the roof. The weight of a 44 inch icicle must be a bit of a strain on a structure not necessarily designed to hold icicles. I'm sure it will be longer tomorrow.
My delemma is whether to watch the icicle every day (as I have) and enjoy the miracle of winter that it is or to be protective of my house and knock it down. Part of my decision rests with my lack of confidence in my handyman abilities.
For now, I think I will leave it alone because it won't be that hard to fix or replace the rain gutter. But how long does it take to make an Icicle!?
2 comments:
How long does it take to make an icicle? How long does it take to get fat? How long does it take to get old? Fact is, an icicle is never really made, it is always being made; it's life is growing, and its death is going. R and W make all the difference. The same thing is true with hoing (a harmless garden activity) and whoring (a nefarious activity involving pimps and johns).
You could do this: get some PCV piping 2" in diameter. Get it long enough to insert over the last skiniest 10 inches or so of the ice cycle. rubberband celaphane over the groundward end first. After you've inserted it over the ice-cicle and backed it down to the ground, stabalize it using ducktape and a stick, which you could prob against or tape off to the house. Then fill the pcv pipe with water. Fill it up to the top, even beyond the tip of the ice-cycle. Once it freezes, the weight will be off your gutter. Now get out your skill saw and cut the pcv pipe from topto bottom on two sides. Pour warm water down it to melt the ice enough for you to remove the plastic. Now you've got yourself a big sucking ice-cicle you helped grow yourself. It won't get longer any more, but it will keep getting thicker and stronger until the next big thaw. I'm not sure I do do this if it were my icicle, but I shore would be tempted.
Wow! You have thought about this a lot more than I have.
I am reminded of a high school teacher who regaled us with stories of a five story ice-cicle he made from his dorm room window in college.
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