A Snow Newbie Here

A few years ago I was complaining that I didn't know what to do when it snowed. Well, four winters and about 80" later we know. We know when to shovel , when NOT to shovel. We know when to salt and when it's going to wash away. And we know when the shovel that we've been using shouldn't be left out in the back of the van. Ahem. But this year, snow? No. We are almost mid-February and we've had 1.7" TOTAL of snow this year. I have these GREAT snow boots, all of my children have snow boots that fit, and Lucy even has a cute little snow suit. But does it snow? Of course not. Yes, that's Tom doing the happy dance off to my side.) He's a snow-free person - he could do without the fluffy white stuff completely. But me, well, I have a love hate with the snow. It's beautiful, quiet (who knew that a carpet of white was so silent), and it's still (I'm all about still these days). But you do have to shovel it, the car gets stuck in it occasionally, some folks don't know how to drive in it, and it's cold (and wet for the most part). But I think I'm a snow convert. And hell, if it's going to be this cold (it's hovering right around freezing as I write this) then it might as well snow.

January 19, 2008

A Snow Newbie Here

We've been here in Virginia through one winter but I still consider myself a snow newbie. You see, I was born and raised in Texas and lived in Florida for a few years, but never in areas where it snowed. Actually, it did snow in Central Texas - once every 11 years or so. But having lived here for one winter I'm still not versed in snow behavior, snow driving, and general snow stuff.

The big thing I learned last winter was that snow was fun to play in, but that's about it. It's heavy to shovel, dirty underneath (and gross when it splats on the side of your car), and when they plow the street you can't get out of your driveway. I also learned when to shovel your driveway (yes, we didn't do it in time and had to pay two guys to clear the driveway and it took them THREE HOURS to shovel). So I was prepared this winter, or so I thought.

Since I couldn't get down the driveway without sliding and crashing into the house this afternoon,

Sam and I spent about an hour shoveling out the driveway (Ian was napping in the car). I wanted to avoid destroying our garage, so I parked at the top of the driveway instead and out we hopped to shovel. It was fun (and no, I'm not insane...well...that's a different discussion) - the snow was light and fluffy, and while it was coming down it was nice and quiet. After Sam shoveled off the sidewalk from the driveway to the front door all by himself, and I finished up the driveway, we built a snowman. He's pretty cool if I say so myself (both Sam and the snowman). The snowman has a nifty Power Rangers hat, some orange mittens, and a cool red scarf - all thanks to Sam. When we were done with the snowman, I woke Ian up and we all went inside and played for a bit.

Then my reality came crashing down. I peeked out the window and couldn't believe my eyes. The entire driveway was covered with snow and it was starting to sleet. Dangit. I missed again. When am I going to get this right? It wasn't supposed to snow anymore - it certainly wasn't snowing when we came in. Then, in the course of an hour it snowed more - lots more. I called my hubby and he said it wasn't snowing at his work - and he's all of 20 minutes from here. It not only didn't stop snowing, but it started to sleet and then rain, followed by more snow. So now I have a driveway covered in ice, snow, more ice, some sleet pellets, and more snow. How many winters does it take to get this right? When the heck am I supposed to shovel? If I do it too early it is covered up again. If I wait too long it is nearly impossible to do. I can't park on the street and ignore the snow on the driveway because we live on a street that is plowed and that, I'm guessing, would mean that we'd get plowed in. What's the trick here people - am I missing something? Help a southern girl out. And yes, they are predicting more snow on Saturday...sigh...

When she's not shoveling her driveway, Suzie blogs about life over at Confessions of a Not So Well Behaved Woman