Enough Already!

Not Exactly How I Planned to Exercise

It snowed.

I may post some pictures eventually, but it always looks the same. We probably have about a foot of snow, perhaps more. It was a dry kind of snow--light airy, so it was not heavy to push around.

I'd started the tractor on Monday and I ran it for a while so it was all ready to go.

Or so I thought.

When I tried to start it this morning to plow the driveway, it grunted and groaned in protest. So, I put the battery charger on and waited. On about the fourth try to start it, something went really wrong. The engine almost "caught" and then everything just died. I'm hoping the starter did not fritz out and it's only a totally dead battery, but I just don't know. I've called the tractor repair guys and they are going to pick it up tomorrow.

But that meant the driveway had to be cleared somehow. My attempts to find someone with a working snow removal machine failed. The friend I sold my plow and old truck to had hydraulic problems. Another contact had engine problems. That guy came over to look at my tractor no no avail. I have a snow blower, but we could not get it started at the last storm and my neighbor, who was going to fix it, never did.

Shovel.

I have a lovely ergonomic snow shovel--two actually. And so I started. Now, mind you, I have a really long driveway. My house is about 90' from the road and my driveway wraps around the house with two entrances/exits. It's at least 300' long, if not longer. I figured if I kept at it--with rest breaks in between, I might clear it by early afternoon.

My cousins--still living in my Aunt's house as they wait for their Hurricane Sandy house to be repaired--were already out shoveling. Their son has the snowblower, but it's miles away with no way to transport it here. As a result, it was a two house shoveling festival.

But then, their son showed up to help them and since they were nearly done, he came over here and started working on the other end of the first driveway that heads directly to my garage. After about 30-40 minutes, we met and one driveway was open.

Bryan, my cousin's son, is a bit of an engine magician, so when I told him about my snow blower, he decided to give it a go. Well, it took some serious determination and perhaps some blind obedience to his commands on the part of the blower, but suddenly, it came to life!!

It's a smallish machine, with only one speed, but I never anticipated needing it for more than trimming up my tractor job, but today, it did yeoman's work and did the second part of the driveway and the driveway area in back of the house. Then it carved a wide path to the barn so the tractor guy's truck could get in to pull my tractor out tomorrow!

We are free!

I used the blower later--we kept it running to use up the old gas so I can put in fresh stuff for the next storm. (Next week????) --and blew out a path from the barn to the manure pile for the wheelbarrow. I also cleaned the front walk so the UPS or FedEx guys could get in if they deliver anything.

I still need a path for the meter reader and to put out squirrel food, but that's actually easier done by hand.

Besides, I need to do something for exercise tomorrow.

Calorie burn? High, I hope.

Satisfaction. Mighty.

There is something utterly rewarding about physical labor when it actually accomplishes something you can see and, in this case, appreciate. I am tired, but happy.