Winter sidewalk maintenance: For those who have run out of salt or sidewalk treatment and need a quick and cheap alternative, these items around the house will be helpful to address those slippery sidewalks.

DIY melter: Mix two quarts of warm water, six drops of dish soap and two ounces of rubbing alcohol. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and use on icy or snowy areas to help make it easier to shovel.

Baking Soda: Slippery sidewalks and stairways can be addressed by sprinkling baking soda, which is known for lowering the freezing point of ice.

Vinegar: Equal parts vinegar and water can be mixed and poured on surfaces from frosted windshields to sidewalks. The ice will slowly turn to liquid.

Use a tarp: If you have a tarp handy and want to avoid certain areas icing over, throw that tarp over the area before the big freeze hits. When the storm hits, you can shovel or shake off a tarp much more easily and before the precipitation freezes solid.

Add traction by using clean cat litter, birdseed or wood ash from the fireplace. These do not melt the ice, but they do make it easier to walk over an icy area because they provide traction by adding grit to the surface.

———

Bird watchers get busy: The next bird count is set for Feb. 14 — 17, 2020. Bird watchers of all ages are encouraged to report what birds they see and their location to provide a “real-time snapshot of where birds are.”

Known as The Great Backyard Bird Count, there is a database called eBird, where participants can make lists and share sightings and explore hotspots for birds wherever you happen to be, based on sightings by other bird enthusiasts.

In order to access this program, it is necessary to create a Cornell Lab Account, which can also be used to access various other projects, like Bird Academy; Birds of North America; Celebrate Urban Birds; Great Backyard Bird Count; Macaulay Library; NestWatch and Project FeederWatch.