Snow day is here. New Englanders have been talking about this storm all last week. Last I checked the estimate for us in my part of Massachusetts is 18-24 inches.
Snowstorm Necessities
I needed to go to the grocery store. Not because I needed the obligatory milk and bread, but because we were genuinely out of staples needed for the house. I went to Shaw’s with the typical dread I face when needed groceries coincide with the latest episode of Snowmageddon. I must say it wasn’t that bad at Shaw’s.
I gassed up the car. Again, a near-empty tank meant I needed to join the other Doomsday Preppers, this time at the gas station. Since I needed to gas up the car, I figured I might as well bring my gas cans and top them off as well for my snowblower. I had plenty of gas in the snowblower, but I figured I would eventually need gas anyway, so what the heck.
Returning home with full gas cans and a gassed-up truck, I proceeded to the shed to pull out my snowblower. My dad bequeathed this to me when he got his new one. He never bought a snowblower until after my brother and I moved out. My brother and I are still somewhat curious about the timing of this purchase.
Tuning up the Snowblower
I moved the snowblower and went to work getting it ready for the big day; checked the gas and primed and started it up. The snowblower didn’t start. Went through everything again. Still nothing.
Time was running short. I needed to get to work. I decided I would check on everything when I got back to work. I did just that. Returned home, ate dinner, re-read the owner’s manual, and went back outside and braved the cold and loneliness (my Miracles of Christ were inside) to see if I could revive the snowblower. I could not, and that’s where we are now.
What am I going to do? Well, I’m going to shovel. There seems like I don’t have any other choice, barring a miracle. Lucky for me and my family, I’m a healthy guy, so a little exercise won’t kill me. I’m also brave, so there’s that, too.
Time to Shovel the Snow
Shoveling is nothing new. I’ve been shoveling snow for 40 years. For a couple of years, my brother-in-law hired me to shovel some properties overnight. One property for one storm should be easier than all that. I also have two other men in my house. I know they will be happy to drop everything and help this nice man with an hour or two of clearing snow. My plan is to get out there a few hours at a time. That way we won’t be overworking ourselves.
This storm looks to be an epic one. I’ll let you know how we do.
Back from Shoveling
I went out earlier in the day. It wasn’t bad. There was only a few inches on the ground. I went back inside to warm up and reward myself with a couple of games on my Nintendo Switch.
I left a cup outside to collect some snow. When I went shoveling overnight, I would refill my hydro flask with snow, which would melt into water in my car. This came in handy when I got thirsty. I wouldn’t need to get out of my car. The cup has since filled with snow, and soon I will have a cup of water straight from the heavens.
While I was playing on my switch, the kids were outside making sure things didn’t get out of hand. I appreciated their efforts. Not long ago, Lovie, The Oppressed, The Boy and I went back outside for another round of shoveling. Slugger stayed inside and cooked dinner for everyone.
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