Leave it to our neighbor, a Montana guy, to know what to do under melting-ice-on-snow conditions such as we're experiencing today. He warns that if water is allowed to puddle up on top of the ice near one's house, there'll be water in the basement when the crust finally melts. Apparently, the puddles are too much for the ground to absorb all at once.

His solution: Wherever you see a puddle on top of the ice crust near the house, poke a hole through the ice and let the puddle drain into the snow below. That way, the ground gets the water more gradually, and it has a better chance of absorbing it.

What a guy. He's even volunteered to poke some holes for us.