My parents introduced me to skiing and I later branched out into snowboarding, but it all began with the hill behind our house. It was perfect for sledding and was particularly grand on days when snowstorms cancelled school. Those were the days! As kids, we never imagined our carefree playing in the snow would ever end. However, it did. With home ownership. Suddenly, all sorts of things were MY problem, and I realized what a charmed life I’d had.
our garage always had an assortment of snow shovels that came in handy from time to time. Recently, I’ve seen wider plow-like shovels online, and they have wheels! I tried to envision a scenario in which I’d want wheels on a shovel. Nothing came to mind even though that three-foot width was enticing. How fast that crazy shovel might remove my snow! But large snowfalls were rare and it would take up a lot of space in the garage.
It’s recently occurred to me that this would have been a good year to own a wide snow shovel with wheels.
It began with a white Christmas
During this past holiday season, it looked as though we’d have a white-Christmas and the snow shovel came out. I’ll admit it was almost a nice change since the last several years haven’t really produced much snow. In fact, I didn’t even remember the last time I had to shovel snow.
This scenario repeated a few more times and I begrudgingly headed outside each time to clear the driveway and steps, all the while reminding myself how nice it was to have some snow during Christmas. It wasn’t terribly cold outside, and the snow was light and fluffy. My snow shovel glided back and forth across the driveway, easily letting me clear it in twenty or thirty minutes.
As time progressed, I realized I’ve shoveled more snow in the last two months than I have in the last decade! I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have snow on the ground for an extended period, along with sub-freezing temperatures. In past years the temperature has risen into the 40s after most snowfalls and melted away the remnants. Seems like those days are not part of this Winter’s forecast.
The snow kept coming
The threat of this past weekend’s storm had me worried. Two large conflicting weather systems were to collide, bringing single digit temperatures along with snow and ice. It sounded like an awful mix of circumstances that might not end well. My area got a large amount of snow but wasn’t impacted as heavily as other parts of the country.
Nonetheless, it took me three shoveling sessions to clear a narrow path from the garage to the street – and my driveway is pretty short. The heavy wet snow didn’t glide off the pavement like previous snow falls. Too heavy to push, each shovelful had to be lifted and tossed aside. My back is still regretting this past snowfall especially after chiseling out a narrow path to the mailbox.
The next morning, I was convinced I’d lost a fight – my body felt like it had been rolled down a mountainside. I ached in places I’d long forgotten about. It took a few days to bounce back and roll out of bed without wincing. As awful as it is to shovel heavy snow, I’m glad we didn’t lose power or have any property damage. I’m grateful our luck held out, in that respect.
We’re hardly halfway through the Winter with plenty of opportunities for snowstorms to trap my car in the driveway for a day or two. I feel I’ve shoveled enough snow for a lifetime, but I’m confident we’re not done yet. For those who own snowblowers, I salute you. I’ve never really considered buying one, but after the lure of that shovel on wheels, why not go all out?
As the next storm approaches, I’m hopeful it will one day warm up enough to melt away all this snow. Stay safe out there and keep an eye on weather forecasts and warnings.
By CapeCod.com Staff
