Snow Wars

Back Deck at Noon - It Eventually Reached Over the Handle and then Collapsed on Itself

On a hilltop far, far away I watched what turned out to be an all-time record snow storm for the area. We ended up with 35 inches of snow which was a record although hard to tell because the winds were the defining aspect to this storm and moved the light stuff around liberally. The yard ended up with some impressive snow mounds which even had Buddy the Wonder Pooch stymied in his efforts to swim across the yard.

Driveway at Noon

At the suggestion of my kids I was watching the complete series of Star Wars since I was trappedat home by the driving ban. I completed 5 &1/3 of the six movies. I didn’t finish because at a certain point I had to address the snow in the driveway. Shortly after Annakin succumbed to the dark side of the force I donned layers of apparel (10 degrees outside along with the wind) – including one of my wife’s scarfs and opened the garage doors. This started two hours of unmitigated hard work even though I was blessed with a working snow blower.

Front Yard at Noon

Front Porch - Heavy Metal Bench Next to Turned Over Rocking Chair
Started the Storm at the Far End of the Porch

I underestimated how much labor goes into maneuvering my best friend around the driveway. I had to tilt the snow blower up to take a top layer and then pull it back to get the lower level. The chute is 36” high but for well over half the driveway the snow was drifted higher. At the bottom of the driveway near the street the drift came up to my shoulders, probably five feet tall. It would have really helped to have an assistant at this point because I couldn’t tilt the snow blower high enough, so I had to retreat knock down the drift with a snow shovel, clear three feet and then repeat.

Just Before Snow Blowing

Behind the Drift After it Was Removed - My Best Friend Embedded in Snow

The Moment After I broke Through onto the Street and Finished Dancing

When you do something like this small things take on added importance. When I broke through the snow bank onto the street for the first time I danced a little jig out in the street – much to amusement of my neighbor. I think he understood. Buddy only lasted about thirty minutes before he begged to go back inside – snow swimming is a tough sport.

Buddy Snow Swimming

It was well after dark when I finally finished and the winds were still screaming and the snow began falling again. I’d already figured out I would need a redo in the morning. I was truly exhausted when I returned to Couch Potato duties and only lasted until Luke was arriving on Dagoba before I headed upstairs. I woke up this morning with only two foot drifts covering most of the driveway which seemed like child’s play after yesterday’s adventures.

Looking out the Kitchen Window

The funniest thing yesterday was watching the reactions to the storm on Facebook. A number of friends, my age, who grew up in New Hampshire with me were wondering why the Boston TV channels supplanted their regular schedule to provided non-stop (and somewhat breathless) coverage of the blizzard. We take kind of a perverse pride in dealing with snow storms that mere mortals (I’m talking about you Virginia) would cringe from.

Driveway This Morning

This morning was an object lesson in what I’m talking about. I drove to work on streets that were completely plowed and 95% of the driveways I passed were completely cleared. People were going about their business and shrugging off what was a snow storm of historic significance. I clearly remember Virginia closing down for three days with less than a third of the snow we got yesterday. So we may get a lot more snow than most people, but at least we know what to do with it and not whine. I’m proud of my fellow New Englanders today although that upcoming Panama vacation looks a whole lot sweeter now; and not for what it is going to do for my social life.

My Fashion Statement for Snow Blowing Attire
The Bandage Helped Keep the Nose Warm