I too am an Iowan.  I am the 5th generation to live in Muscatine County, all (until me) were farmers.  I still have a sister and a nephew living there but now I am in California.  The winters here are a far cry from what I remember there.  I remember the lump coal furnace that heated our house and standing in front of the register every morning to keep warm.  My Dad uses to use his tractor to clear the driveways and probably some roads, although because we lived on a main road, I don't remember him having to do that too much.  He cleared the driveways for his farms and those of his neighbors.  He milked cows so as someone said, it was essential to keep the road open so the milk man could pick up the milk. I also remember attending one room schools.  Although I didn't move, I attended different schools because they were consolidated so we travel by bus to some schools a distance away.  One school still had an outhouse.  That was a bit cold in the winter, but it took up time when I didn't want to do schoolwork.  By the time I got my coat and boots on, went out there, came back in and took it all off, I bet I could waste at least 10 minutes!  The winters in Iowas were fun too.  Sledding down the hills on a Flexible Flyer, the best sled around.  Ice skating on a pond at Weed Park in Muscatine.  Christmas caroling with my church youth group, driving all around the countryside to get to the homes.  It was a great place to grow up.  In more recent years, I remember flying back to Iowa for Christmas when my parents were still alive.  It was so cold it took our breath away when we stepped outside the airport.  Someone had an aluminum suitcase (or something like that) that was so brittle from the cold, it popped open when another suitcase hit it on the baggage carousel.  I'll never forget that! Jean Perera Researching Shepard, Jarvis, Haifleigh, Miller, Baker, Atwill