We had weather!

Yes, it's abnormal here. I call where I live the "valley of no weather." It is a valley, geographically speaking. I mean, you can't tell when you're in it - it's not like I live in a big ravine or anything - but there is a rather large river that runs through my town and this whole area (in fact, I only live half a mile from it), and apparently, in the greater scheme of things, it's a valley.

So something in the geography of the valley - specifically this small part of the valley (it's a long river) - seems to create a lack of noticeable weather. Rarely severe storms in the summer, even more rarely snow in the winter, other than a scant dusting that melts by 2:00 p.m. Just calm, hot, clear skies in summer, and calm cloudiness in winter.


So this took me by surprise.




I have a big 4-wheel drive SUV. With brand new, gawd-awful expensive Michelin tires on it. I can generally drive through any amount of snow we might get here. Unless it's deeper than the undercarriage. The best tires in the world, no matter how many wheel drive you have, can do you no good if the tires aren't touching anything.

I looked for the driveway this morning, and couldn't find it. I walked out in it, and the snow was mid-calf deep. So I (very grudgingly) got out the snow shovel.





I hate shoveling snow, but I figured if I just sort of swept off the top layer, so I only left it about 6" deep, I could just drive through it.

I was about half way done with half the driveway when some guys showed up and offered to shovel it out completely for $15. I said, "Hell, yeah!" Then I remembered that I didn't think I had any cash. I asked if they'd take a check. They began backing away. I went to look. I had $7.00. I told them if it'd take them 5 or 10 minutes, while they shoveled I'd walk up to the convenience store on the corner and hit the ATM. They said sure. So I took off walking up the middle of the slushy street - because the sidewalks hadn't been touched, but at least the road had been driven on.


When I went out to shovel the driveway, I put on a t-shirt, and a fleece pullover, but not my heavy winter coat, because I knew I'd get overheated shoveling snow in a heavy coat. In my rush after I figured out I didn't have the cash to pay the shoveling guys, I left without putting my coat on.


So about two or three houses up, it occurs to me: I'm walking up the middle of the slushy street in sub-freezing temperatures without a coat on, to get to the convenience store on the corner and take money out of the ATM to pay a couple guys to shovel my driveway. Wouldn't it just be easier to shovel the driveway myself? Or maybe give them the $7.00 I had and tell them to just do half?


Nah. I hate shoveling snow. Walking, I don't mind. And it wasn't, really, that bad.


So I got the cash, paid the guys, got my driveway shoveled, and ... I hope we're done with that for this year.

By the way - the sock (yes, sock, solo) that I've been working on is almost done ... tomorrow I can finish it and start the second one. Only three more socks to knit before next Tuesday. Oh, yay.