Snow, Snow and More Snow

Congratulations to the weathermen.  They got one right.  The big snowstorm started Friday afternoon just as the weather watchers had predicted, and it quit when they predicted, too.  It was beautiful and still is.  The sun is shining bright today, but it is brrrr cold outside, so I think this snow is going to hang around for a little while.

The dogs always get awake early in the morning and I take them out and then give them a treat and they are good to go for a couple of hours.  I got up early Saturday morning to take them out but they couldn't navigate in the snow.  I grabbed the shovel and made a little path into the yard and then widened it a little bit so that they would have a little space to take care of business.  While I did that I hung onto their leashes so that they wouldn't run off, which they like to do, mostly I think just to torment me.  I don't know why I did that though because they weren't going anywhere in the deep snow.  They really had to go so while I shoveled they were dancing around behind me and getting themselves all tangled up in their leashes.  Finally, they realized that the path was a dead-end and got the job done.

Late Saturday afternoon Duck and I went out to dig ourselves out.  He took his snowblower across the street to help a neighbor and I started shoveling the sidewalk.  Although the snow was deep, it was not terribly heavy and I didn't mind.  I love being outside right after a snowstorm and I don't really mind shoveling; however, I love using the snowblower.  Duck knows I like to use the snowblower so when he came back across the street he took over with the shovel and I got to use the snowblower.  I love the way it cuts a path and the edges are clean and smooth, and the way the snow sprays all nice and neat off to the side of the driveway.

There is a purity about snow and nothing more beautiful than to look across the landscape and everything is soft and white and smooth and clean.  For just a little while the world seems different, more peaceful, more perfect.  But then the snowplow comes roaring up the street and pushes the snow off to the side, along with dirt, stones and debris and that perfect moment in time is already ruined.  The serene world is gone and we are plowed back to reality.

It makes me wonder why they couldn't make trucks with giant highway-sized snowblowers instead of using plows.  I can see them coming up the street blowing snow halfway across the yard.  People would definitely have to move their cars ahead of time, but they should probably be doing that anyway.  I think it would be great!

On another note, I don't wear shoes around the house and I keep a pair of rubber garden shoes by the door so that when the dogs have to go out or if I go to the mailbox, I just slip on my rubber shoes to go outside and slip them back off when I come in.  This morning when the dogs got up, I put on my coat, slipped on my rubber shoes (no socks, of course) and took the dogs down the little path to take care of their morning duty.  In the path was a piece of frozen rawhide that one of them must have dropped the night before.  They were distracted by the frozen rawhide, so I felt I should get it out of the way.  I wanted to kick it out into the deeper snow where they wouldn't see it and be distracted by it.  I kicked, but the rawhide didn't move; however, my rubber shoe flew off my foot and disappeared into the deep snow about 12 feet from where I was standing.  Now I'm standing outside with one shoe, it's about 10 degrees and the dogs are still scratching around at the frozen rawhide.  I picked up the rawhide and threw it, which is what I should have done in the first place.  I don't know if they had finished their business or not, and I debated whether I should try to walk out into the snow to try to retrieve my shoe, but I wans't sure how fast frostbite might set in, so we marched back to the house.  They're calling for more snow on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so I'm not sure when I'll see my other shoe again.