Doing a Snow Dance

Well, it finally happened!  After many misleading forecasts we finally got some snow last night!  Unfortunately it had been rainy and foggy all day and then we had a sudden blast of arctic air, resulting in a flash freeze.  So underneath all the new fluffy snow on our driveway is a serious layer of ice.  I'm not sure exactly how much snow we got, because snow is now measured in centimetres and my mental ruler is still calibrated in inches.  But it was past my ankles, anyway. 

Although it was quite cold this morning the sky was blue and the sun was out so it was a perfect morning to shovel.   It was even more enjoyable because the snow itself was light and fluffy, easy to push to one side and even easy to throw up onto our (relatively small) snowbank.  The neighbours on both sides of me were also out shovelling their drives, so we chatted back and forth while working.

Usually my husband uses the snow blower and I don't have to worry about the driveway any more.  When our sons were much younger and we were living in another city, we used to shovel our driveway and our neighbour's driveways just because it was always fun to be outside.  When we moved to
the country, our driveway was much wider, and longer, so we were very glad to get a snow blower given to us.  

As a matter of fact, we still use that very snow blower.  It was probably close to 20 years old when we got it from my father-in-law.  That was probably close to 15 years ago now, so as you can see, this is not a fancy new snow blower, in its prime.

It's made out of steel and weighs at least one metric tonne, possibly more.  I cannot lift or move it.  To tell the truth, I can't even start it because It has one of those pull-cord starters that require more coordination than I have ever developed.   I suspect that our snow blower is inhabited by a malicious spirit because sometimes the cord pulls entirely out and requires rewinding.  Alternatively, it refuses to start, just because it can.  All of these antics usually occur during snowstorms when the wind chill factor is terrifying and any repairs must be undertaken with bare fingers in a frigid garage.  Truthfully, if anything happens to my husband I plan to bury him with the snow blower, and find a good looking young man to clear my driveway!

I just miss the company of two giddy little boys playing in the snow and helping me shovel.  Now both boys have homes of their own.  One still uses the arm strong method of shovelling, the other one has an ATV with a snow blade to push the snow out of his driveway.  I am assured that he only purchased the ATV for snow removal, and certainly not for any recreational purposes.