Schools have a day off and so does the writer--well, sort of. About three feet of snow has hit the ground over the past two weeks. This morning I forged through thigh deep snow on my walk to town after a good snowfall yesterday. Only the diehard locals manage to get out and about during days when the roads resemble ice rinks, and any workout intentions are replaced by intense snow shoveling.
In my case, I spent over an hour digging out and up to the parking pad. The stairs proved a challenge since there is no longer any room to toss the snow adjacent to them. My yard and terrace are maxed out with snow.
When I finally reached the top of the stairs and gazed at the road, I discovered that it had not been plowed, and that my truck was walled in by snow up to the windows. The drifts are deep, but at least this snow fall was light.
There is actually an art to shoveling snow. If you wait too long, then the sun comes out and begins to melt it--leaving you to mess with heavy shovel loads. AND if you don't get the snow up early, it melts and forms nice hard ice pools for you to slip on later, renders the snow blower useless, or compacts into lumps that last until the winter ends.
If you are working at snow removal and the wind kicks up, the tree limbs dump the heavy piles of accumulation on your head, shoulders, and back. If you happen to be using a snow blower, you sometimes have to blow only one way, otherwise the wind blows the snow all over you and you look like a moving snowbeast.
Snow blowers are great tools. However, if the snow is wet they clog and are useless.
Then there is the county snowplow. Why is it, when you have struggled to clear away your driveway for ages and finally finish, that they manage to come by and drop the very heavy iced snow right into the area just cleared?
In my opinion, the snow shovel is priceless. It travels easily so you can dig in or out of areas elsewhere--and it is especially appreciated when you return home to the county piles left in your parking area.
It pays to also make friends with neighbors and businesses with snow plows, tractors, and related snow tools. Never, never, never be nasty to them or the county snowplow operator. I suspect the last resident here was not his favorite and I have not yet had the opportunity to make friends with him. Guess I better do it soon.
Finally, one of the rules is that you MUST go out and tromp or play in the new fallen snow. Taking time to do that is what we do here in paradise.
There is nothing like a day after a good snowstorm. The sun is out and the intense hues of blue, white, and sparkling ice crystals make it a sight to behold. The birds are singing and the trees are happily slurping up the moisture...and life is good!
