Here it is near the end of January. After Christmas I got used to the idea that it would probably snow every Thursday as it was that day of the week we got our first really big snow of the season. And this year, having pretty much re-couped from my two 06 surgeries (the latest of which being my foot and the fact I now walk with almost no limp) that I would help Hubby with the never ending chore of clearing the snow from the driveway. In the past years I’ve noted that once a weather pattern emerges, say rain or snow on a Thursday, that you can fairly well depend on that for the foreseeable weather future. Hubby even bought a second snow shovel, this one being ergonomically correct, so I had little excuse for not helping. Our last snowfall had me going out 2 or 3 times that day and pushing snow around, and I believe Hubby spent at least one more shovel period besides, and he’s recovering from his own 06 surgery history, a mid-August repair of a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder.

So. Naturally we were both all ears when a couple of weeks back the local weatherman featured a story about a new, engine-less snow shovel he’d bought from The Home Depot for about $36. On that weather-show-feature a man who did a lot of volunteer snow clearing for the elderly tried it out (it was either the Friday or maybe Thursday evening late edition at 10 pm). It has a roller-type blade encased in a sort of plastic shovel-like scoop and you begin in the middle of the area to be cleared and work outwards on either side. The snow should not be more than 4 inches. It did a half-decent job from all accounts. So we spent part of the weekend going to or phoning all the Home Depots in town and found that it was not in stock. So we were back to the two shovels we had, one ergonomic but too heavy for me to maneuver well, and the regular cheap one that allowed the snow to stick to the blade and make me cuss when it banked up on me. (It snowed some both Saturday and Sunday by the way.) Hubby seemed to want this shovel pretty bad and asked me to see if I could find and order it online. Well well! It could be gotten the cheapest ($36.99) from www.homedepot.com. but would require an additional $8.25 for shipping UPS. Hubby wanted it bad so we paid the extra.

It came yesterday, and wouldn’t you know it? Not a snowflake in sight. We found out it doesn’t work very well on old snow that has iced up on the back deck, although he persisted enough to clear it somewhat. There was probably  more than a 4 inch deep surface of snow/ice. Tomorrow is Thursday and still not a snowflake in sight. It makes me think of last year when we ordered Hubby a pair of snowshoes and bought a pair at the local recreation outlet store at a deep discount for me and then waited for it to snow some more.

We still don’t know whether the investment is worth it or not, but with the environmental problems associated with anymore stuff that requires petrol to operate, read Snowblower, it’s sort of a no brainer to a couple of retired 60-somethings

Now here we are, much more winter-savvy than we were last year at this time having just moved here from eight years in Las Vegas, only weeks from triple digit in the other direction (we’ve re-learned how to dress in layers) and we’re walking around in weather below freezing with only light jackets (as long as the sun is shining) and wondering how we could have felt it was so cold last year. Inside the house watching television is another story which I won’t go into, but it’s strange how it can actually feel warmer outside than in! To the snowgods that are withholding my predicted Thursday snows, “send it on! We’re ready this time.”