If the first snow fall of the year is 4 to 6 inches, we just drive our vehicles up and down over the next few days to pack it down good. It's good insulation over the ground to prevent the frost from dropping deeper in the ground as the season progresses and causing more problems, frost heaves, broken water pipes, etc.. Weird, huh?! Also, since we have a dirt and rock driveway, it keeps the rocks from getting in your shoe treads and ending up in the house (I hate all those little rocks hiding in the carpet waiting for my vacuum cleaner to come by). If the first snowfall is deeper than that, DH raises the deck on the tractor/snowblower combo and makes sure he's not scrapping the ground.

I moved to a townhome, so that nasty job is taken care of.

When we lived in Ohio, we lived in suburbia, and the driveway was manageble, so we usually kept it shoveled like you. When we lived in Massachusetts, we had 2 driveways and at least one was kept shoveled. In Maine, we lived in the city, and when the city plowed, they created a mountain of snow at the edge of our driveway, and the only way to get in and out of the driveway in the winter was to constantly shovel in conjunction with the plow guys. Now we live in New Hampshire in a mountainous area in the woods and our house is on a hill. We have a plow guy that comes, but we have 4 cars, sometimes 5, and it's an ongoing dance all winter long just moving the cars around and shoveling around where the plow guy missed. And if that weren't enough, we have a long front porch and two front doors and walkways, and then there is the back door and the back porch. We shovel the high traffic areas and put down sand, but it is a huge chore. Our main goal is to prevent accidents and maintain access in and out of the driveway. Orangeroom, if you lived in my house, you would have to quit your job just to be the shoveler that kept everything tidy all the time, because it's nearly impossible. I do admit that I welcome any help that mother nature gives. But if the snow melts, when the slush refreezes, we have a virtual ice skating rink in the driveway, and that can be a small nightmare. However, when it snows here, my yard is like a winter wonderland it is so beautiful! From the perspective of a kid who grew up in the south, I am still in awe of the winter in New England.

we live in the country and drive is 356' of gravel--so we push snow with the tractor is there's enough, otherwise we just drive over it. We do have a high clearance 4wheel drive truck that is needed if snow is very deep---some of the roads drift despite county's efforts due to wind. I do keep the sidewalk and steps clear.

Me? Shovel the stuff??? Not a snowball's chance in.......!! :p :D

Jan in VA

If we get over 2" of snow the schools close - I just let 'Mother' take care of it for me

I'm the kind that would let Mother Nature take it away, but sometimes I swear that SO is all most like "Jumbo" in the cartoon strip "Rose Is Rose". First light dusting, he's ready to fire up the snowblower:)

I'm not compulsive about it but do tend to be a shoveler. When we have snow, DH is usually working so it falls to me. We have a small/short walk from front door to street and to the driveway. I only do the front porch and walks. I just try to keep up with it after every couple of inches simply because lifting more than that gets to be painful. And then there are the plows that pile it back up so I try to keep the access to the street open. But if the snowfall is all overnight...all bets are off. Then I beg the neighbors with commercial property across the street to use their snowblowers, etc. to clear out the walkways. BIL plows the driveway if DH doesn't come through with a plow in the interim.

i am a shoveler we live in the country i shovel the two decks off and the sidewalk and my husband

uses the bobcat to clear the yard. we do it as soon as it quits snowing because we have animals to get too

We live in the country so cleaning snow off the driveway is just a part of life. Hubby has a tractor with a loader and two snowblowers but usually waits till it is done snowing to clean out. I am retired now so don't have to get out every day. If it gets too bad we wait it out until the wind and snow settles down. We don't have livestock anymore so that simplifies the job a lot - just the yard and quarter mile long driveway to clean out. And living in the country a 4-wheel pickup is almost a must.