Here it is. My thoughts and wisdom, for what it is worth, on living up north.
I love the snow. I have had a fascination with the frozen white stuff for as long as I can remember. I wonder if this has something to do with being born up north but then spending most of my life in the south? I did spend a few years in snowy states, but at age 10 moved to Central Florida where a snow flake might cause a mass panic. After my marriage I found myself in Virginia Beach, Va. Here is a place where snow occurs, but rarely enough that one can enjoy it for a day or so and then get back to normal life.
Last year things took a dramatic turn for my family. The US Navy decided to move this decidedly southern loving family to upstate NY. I was finally going to get my snow! I started looking for this sometime around October and was finally treated to my first adventure in early November. I was not home when the snow started to fall and thus began my training. Lesson numbers 1,2 and 3 came on this evening. Lesson number 1: in upstate NY a couple of inches of snow may or may not be forecast. In the south the weather man would have been tracking the system for three days and making predictions on amounts. I believe what I heard on the weather that day was something about a small chance of some flurries. Lesson 2: One must own a snow brush/ice scraper and keep it in the car even if you have a garage. See lesson 1 and realize you might not be home when the "flurries" turn into a couple of inches and cover your car. Lesson 3: my vehicle is rear wheel drive and therefore does not always go as usual after stopping at an intersection, on a thin layer of ice and snow. You have to let off the gas and let it roll a minute. If you push this issue you will notice the back end of the vehicle trying to beat the front end through said intersection. It also bears mentioning here that one does not have to drive in the snow, in the south. If snow sticks to the ground, south of the Mason Dixon Line, everything is closed and shut down. Northerners look at you funny when you ask if the meeting is still on when snow is forecast.
We did not have a white Christmas this year. Virginia Beach received 14 inches on Christmas Day and yes I did complain, loudly and to anyone who would listen. However, my jealousy was unwarranted and my turn was coming. The snow started to become a weekly event and my children had their first snow in mid January. Lesson 4 is personally in question but my neighbors and local friends seem to think it is one I need to learn so I will include it here. Somewhere there is apparently a snow machine and constant wishing for snow can turn it on and get it stuck. It appears turing it off is not so easy. Whatever, I still love the snow and think the locals should be used to it by now.
Of course now I had to learn about snow removal. I bought a snow shovel before the first significant snow. I happily went out to my sidewalk and shoveled. Lesson 5: all snow shovels are not alike and a tall woman needs a long handle. Bending over and standing up for the entire length of my sidewalk is painful. We bought another shovel. The curved ergonomic handle seemed like a good idea. Lesson 6: this suckers are heavy and really awkward to lift and dump. I have yet to find the perfect shovel but I do still enjoy being out in the snow.
Lesson 7 and 8 deal with the snowblower. We were smart enough to listen to advice and purchase one of these handy toys and are very grateful. Mostly my husband is grateful and usually this is his job. However, snow and his schedule do not always line up very well. It was important for me to learn how to use this monster in order for him to be able to pull back in the driveway after a long snowy drive home. Our snowblower comes with an optional electric start which is much easier than the pull start. I never could start the lawnmower. So, before leaving for work on the day of a record breaking snow storm, my very intelligent husband set the snowblower up so all I had to do was plug it in, hit the primer and start. So where are the lessons you ask? Number 7: unplug snowblower before hitting the gas and trying to leave the garage. Oops! It is all good it actually unplugs itself when pulled hard enough. Lesson 8: I should have learned this one by example, but keeping in mind I had already shoveled the sidewalk and dog's poop spot (this is a whole other blog) three times I did not want to shovel anymore. My husband always shovels the first few feet in front of the garage. Why I wondered. Just head straight out with the snowblower, too much extra work if you ask me. You should not ask me by the way. I have been known to be wrong. See everything if fine going out but you have to come back in the direction of the open garage door and a snowblower can through snow quite a distance. Suffice to say one way or another you do end up cleaning up those could of feet of snow. The problem is they are now all over my garage kept truck, the very slippery garage floor and imbedded in the tracks of the garage door tripping the sensor so it will not close. Who says you have to take up snow sports to stay fit up north?
It is currently February 3rd and yesterday the groundhog did not see his shadow promising an early spring. This happened on a day when my part of the world saw over a foot of snow. Not sure I believe the little rodent, something tells my my lessons have not all been learned.
