With better than 30 inches of new snow in the past week, New Englanders have been reaching for a tool that has remained basically unchanged since its invention: the roof rake. New materials have been introduced, making them lighter and easier to wield, but most changes have been simply variations on a theme. A long pole with a blade on one end is thrust up onto a roof and pulled back toward the thruster, bringing snow and ice crashing to the ground where it can melt harmlessly rather than collapsing whatever building it was sitting on.
The roofs here at Fish in a Barrel Pond are quite lovely and we would like to keep them.
As you can see, they have collected quite a bit of snow this week.
Some roofs are relatively flat and collect quite a bit of snow.
Others are fairly steep and able to shed their load. Eventually. I hope.
The roof rake. It sure beats the heck out of climbing up there with a shovel.
The View from Fish in a Barrel Pond 
What are marvelous invention, what a complete pain. Raking the roof is the last thing you want to do during the winter, no?
I was lucky. During my sojourn in the frozen north my cabin/shack had a very steep roof. No need for raking. The sound of snow hitting the ground after sliding off the roof was disturbing, but not as disturbing as the roof collapsing on you.
I think of snow as an insulator.
OK. I admit that one only needs insulation when it is cold but … I guess it’s lucky that’s when there’s snow.
Hah! I’m Mr. Positive! BING!
Stevo – raking roofs is certainly close to the bottom of the list of things I want to do in the winter but it is not quite the last thing. Of course, that’s only because I have done a number of gruesome, nasty, hard, horrible things that, if presented again with a choice of them or the roof rake, I would take the roof rake.
ABS – Snow is a great insulator but, just like the down in a parka, more is not necessarily better. Especially with cottages built some time ago by men who were quite possibly drunk.
Looks like Canada to me.
I agree with my boyfriend in that it’s insular. There’s a family here who decided to make an igloo. Now they sleep in it. That’s taking a love of wintertime too far.
Quill, you get internet from there?! Neat.
The snow on the roofs is purty.
I agree that’s very pretty but I figure it could also be very destructive if allowed to remain on the roof!
Some inventions are best left alone because there’s not a whole lot that would improve them.
That is sooo cool.
I think we should have a party at Quill’s house.
Yeah. It looks like home. Well…thankfully not right now but…living here, I have to try to make up rationales for why snow is a good thing.
Our garage collapsed under the weight of snow and ice, back in 1994. It wasn’t so awful to lose the building, which was unimpressive, but the roof beam neatly dissected the ’72 Lotus Europa that was housed within, and that was heartbreaking — just one month earlier, Himself had decided to let the insurance lapse.
That’s the most snow I’ve ever seen in one place! You must be made of sturdy stuff.
Nice photos, I cant believe its that time of year again.
http://www.roofrake.com