I’VE JUST COME in from shoveling snow. Nearly 1 ½ hours of scrape and lift and throw. Or bend and scoop and carry and throw.
I could have waited for my husband to do this after work. But he works hard all day and tonight he will have about 45 minutes to eat and shower before leaving for a church meeting. Honestly, who schedules a meeting during Christmas week?
But that is another topic for another day. Today I am focusing on the snow which the city plow scraped from the street and deposited at the end of our driveway and sidewalk. This would be boulder-sized chunks of compacted snow seasoned with salt and sand.
As I labored to clear away the mounds of snow, I grunted and sighed. My back ached. My right hip hurt from the stooping and twisting. When I stopped occasionally to lean against the scoop shovel handle, I breathed in deeply.
Then I forged onward, determined that this snow would not get the best of me. Soon I was sweating. Even my hands. I unbuttoned by wool pea coat.
I carried more shovels full of snow boulders up the slight incline of the driveway apron. I heaved the snow chunks onto the snow along the sides of the driveway because I could no longer toss it atop the roadside mountains. Finally, I finished…then realized I also needed to open the sidewalk.
When I saw that mountain of snow before me, I nearly gave up and walked away. But, instead, I dug in, determined. Scoop, carry, throw. Scoop, carry, throw. Scoop, carry, throw.
Soon I removed my coat and tossed it atop the snow. Still sweating, I also ditched my stocking cap.
While I worked, I tried to think of some clever sign to post in the yard, for all to see along my busy street. Here are some of my ideas:
FREE SNOW
ENOUGH ALREADY
AND THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND DAY OF WINTER?
WHY WAS SNOW SO MUCH MORE FUN WHEN I WAS A KID?
GET FIT. INQUIRE HERE.
Then, when I finished, I stashed the shovels in the garage, snapped some photos of the major ice dams and icicles hanging from our house (another job for another day) and tossed down three hands full of chocolate chips. After all that shoveling, I deserved some chocolate.
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WHAT WOULD YOU WRITE on that snow sign I contemplated posting in my yard?
How do you reward yourself after shoveling snow? With chocolate, like me?
And, finally, my apologies to my brother-in-law Neil, who just returned from Iraq. He told me I was blogging (complaining) too much about the snow. He’s in Hawaii right now. Enough said.
© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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