My New Best Friend

As a transplant to New England, I can still recall my amazement when introduced to a few of the items that are somewhat unique to this region. Ever heard of a frappe? How about candlepin bowling? And what about a tonic? I learned about those within months of moving to NH, but I had to wait until I became a homeowner to learn about my topic du jour - the snowblower.

You see, in places where snowfall is measured in feet, and where the snow doesn't entirely melt between storms, clearing your driveway with a shovel isn't really practical. Unless, of course, you have a really small driveway or are looking for a really great workout. Over, and over, and over..... So man invented the snowblower, which takes all that snow and blows it through the air into a big pile at the side of the driveway, hence the name snowblower. The basic snowblower looks a lot like a roto-tiller, the operator walks behind it and it blows the snow. It may or may not be self propelled.

We picked up a basic model when we moved in the house. About a year later I asked Kilowatt to show me how to use it, and quickly learned that this monster and I were incompatible (the snowblower and I, that is.) It was heavy, loud, and had such vibration that it made my arms go numb -- for a couple of days. So for ten years I was totally reliant on Kilowatt to clear the driveway. On the rare occasions where Kilowatt was not home for a storm, I fell back on the trusty snow shovel and All-Wheel Drive. In other words, just shovel enough to get the car in and out of the driveway.

Our New Year's present 2008 was a new snow blower. Since our lawn mower was kind enough to die the same year as the snow blower, we replaced both with a combination big lawn tractor that includes a snowblower attachment for the winter months. We justified it by the fact that I would be able to operate this one.

Fast forward to today.... Kilowatt is out of town for a few days, and Mother Nature gave us 8 inches of new snow as a New Year's gift. So I bundled up and off I went. It was a balmy 9 degrees this morning. Periodic wind gusts brought the wind chill well below 0. Did I mention I'm a wimp when it comes to cold?

The snow was light and fluffy. I started on our second driveway and it seemed no matter what direction I turned that little blower thingy, the snow was blowing right back into my face. The good news is that this little machine is fast, so it didn't take me too long to become totally encrusted in snow with a clear driveway. I shoveled the steps, and headed back indoors. As I approached the front door, I could see my reflection in the glass -- and now I know what the Abominable Snowperson looks like!

Okay Mother Nature, now I know how to work this thing -- could you wait a few days for the next storm? Kilowatt will be home this weekend!

Oh Deer!

The weather in NH continues to be something to talk about - we have had some form of precipitation every day since Tuesday.  I'm getting used to looking out my window and watching it snow.  No, we are not buried, because we're just getting these annoying little storms that make the roads slick and leave us with between one and three inches of new snow -- daily.

Diva is taking skiing lessons for the third year.  We have a great little mountain about 40 minutes North of our house, and the school takes the kids there every Friday after school.  Weather permitting, that is.  We've had three of five weeks rained or snowed out.  

Last Friday the weather cooperated beautifully.  It snowed all day, giving a couple of inches of new powder.  The temperatures were in the low 30's and there was no wind -  perfect skiing weather.  I actually strapped on a pair of skis myself and took a few runs with Diva and her friends.  I'm pleased to report that I have no broken bones or torn tissue.  

We've been hearing a lot in the news lately about the deer situation.  Because the snow is so deep and much of it is now crusted over, they are being chased by dogs and other animals who don't break through the snow, while the deer break through and flounder around.  People are being asked to keep their dogs inside or on leash.  We've had to put wire around all our shrubs to keep the deer from eating them down to nubs.  It is a sad situation, made worse by the fact that our area is so densely populated that few hunters hunt here anymore.  

On the way home from skiing, about a mile from my house, two deer ran out in front of my SUV.  I drive like an old lady, so I slammed on the brakes and missed them easily.  Then BAM, a third deer runs into me!   Looking out my driver's side window I see this wild eyed version of Bambi staring in at me as he bounds off, apparently a bit battered and bruised, but not broken. 

At first I was hopeful that my SUV was not damaged, but when I tried to open my door to get out and look, and it wouldn't open, I realized that was a vain hope.  The deer was uninsured, so my insurance gets to pick up the $1800 of damage he caused.  

Diva asked me after this happened, "Mom, if I had rode with Dad instead of you, would you still have hit the deer?"  Seems her mind was thinking I would have been somewhere else at that time if she had picked Dad to ride with instead of me.  I quickly explained to her that no, it wouldn't have mattered.  It is amazing how a child can assume they are to blame for something like this.  I hope most parents wouldn't blame their kids when something like this happens.      

Snow is a Four-Letter Word

Perhaps I cursed myself.  That lovely contraption I described for my friends who live in places where you don't get snow measured in feet -- our snow blower -- developed a terminal case of engine-itis on New Year's Day.  Yeah, after using it to clear the seven inches of heavy, wet snow that we got on New Year's Eve, hubby thought he'd do a little clean up work before he had to use it to clear the snow we were forecast to get on New Year's Day.  He comes walking into the house with something mechanical in nature in his hand.  

Hubby: "Do you know what this is?"

Me:  "No, looks kind of like the engine on the old roto-tiller my parents used to have."

Hubby:  "It's a snow-blower engine that is beyond repair."

Me:  "I'll call Home Depot and see what they have in stock for snow-blowers.  I think they are open until 6, and we just got a 90 days same as cash offer!"

I've lived in NH for almost 22 years now, but I totally forgot what happens when you have two very mild, dry winters followed by a record-breaking December.  Let's just say that at least some of the Home Depot associates in NH, MA, and ME didn't laugh at me when I asked what they had in stock.   

I decided to take a break from my search and check the weather forecast - our local ABC affiliate, WMUR, has as a top story "Snow Blower Stolen from Driveway of 84 year old."  On the local radio station "Do you know where you Snow Blower is?"  I'm pretty sure somewhere in NH someone is offering to trade their Wii with accessories for a snowblower - that's how hot an item they are right now!

Hubby and I spent two hours shoveling on New Year's Day - about 5" or so.  I spent another two hours yesterday cleaning up the 4" additional that fell after we shoveled.  Today, another 45 minutes cleaning up the mess the town plow made when they came by knocking snowbanks down to a level where those in the tallest four wheel drive vehicles might be able to see over them, barely.  

In case you are having difficulty picturing what all this snow might look like, I posted a picture.  That vehicle is a Honda Pilot - about 6 feet, 4 inches tall.

Oh, on a side note - if I don't get buried in snow, I will be buried in paper.  The Presidential primary ad count for yesterday was three ads.  We received six more today.  I think our post office may not have anything to do after the primary next week!