(no subject)

[mrissa]

I lied. I am no longer glad to see this snow at all. It is gorgeous and fluffy and freakin' heavy, and I have done the most half-assed job of driveway shoveling I have ever done in my life. ("Why did you shovel the driveway?" "Had to get to the doctor." "What are your symptoms?" "Well, fatigue....") I have shoveled one half of the driveway onto the other, and the steps are still mostly snow-covered (not the walk, just the steps). It is pathetic, and it is the limit of my abilities right now.

grumblegrousegrumble

I still love the smell of it, though.

Comments

[sraun]

I remember thinking 'that driveway is just going to be so much fun to shovel!' the first time I saw it. (Yes, there's a honkin' big hunk of sarcasm in there.)

At what point do you start thinking about buying mechanical assistance? (i.e., a snowblower)

[markgritter.livejournal.com]

When I overcome my fear that when I slip on said driveway the snowblower will eat me.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yah. Mark is half-joking and all serious: we've already thought of a snowblower. The problem is whether a snowblower would be harder to wrestle on that kind of slippery hill than just shoveling it.

I have it on my list to call about finding a service to clear it for us. Then they can try maneuvering a machine that's substantial fractions of my body weight around that incline if they feel so moved.

[sraun]

Would a snowblower weighing only 24 or 39 pounds make you any more comfortable? Toro makes an elecric snowblower that clears an 18" width and weighs 24 pounds, their light gas snowblower clears 16" and weighs 39 pounds.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

See, I had factored that into my calculations. Since I am only about 120#, 40# of snowblower is still a substantial fraction of my weight to be trying to maneuver on a slick slope. But we will probably try to borrow cadithial's and see how it goes.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

The smell of snow! I'd forgotten.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I pined for it for four years in California. I don't know that I'll ever forget.

[zellandyne.livejournal.com]

love the irony of that, yes.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I laughed out loud at your hypothertical conversation. So sad, so true. Miss, if I could walk that way, I wouldn't be here.

When I was a teen and we were in a hurry, I carefully shoveled two stripes the length of the driveway, one shovel-width wide, a car-width apart for the tires to go down, and left everything else as it was. My parents were scornful, but since I was doing it for them they weren't in a position to complain too much.

I like snowblowers. I mean, I've never used one, but they seem nice, except when used in passive-aggressive neighbor wars which I'm afraid they seem to be prone to. But for myself, if I ever live in the kind of neighborhood where snowblowers are common, and I ever feel the desire for one myself, I think I would prefer, instead to get a flamethrower. Gets rid of the snow just as efficiently, ans *so* much more satisfying. People say it would rsult in ice from the melt, but I say that if you get the pavement underneath baking hot, there shouldn't be any such problem.

A nice flamethrower, that's what I want. Lavender, by preference. You could get one tosave yourself from exhasution, and I could enjoy it vicariously.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you laughed out loud at my hypothetical conversation. I meant you to, but it just made some people sad.

I thought of just shoveling the stripes, but then if I departed from the stripes in any way, I wouldn't make it up the driveway. So that didn't seem like the thing.

timprov has suggested the giant blowdryer from "Spaceballs."

As I said to sraun above, it's not that we haven't thought of snowblowers, it's that wrestling a snowblower on that steep, slippery incline looks harder than shoveling, not easier.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I, however, am thrilled that it's still snowing. I did one complete shoveling job right after lunch, and I'll do another tonight.

And possibly another in the morning....

B

[genevra.livejournal.com]

If you were closer to me, I'd come snowblow your driveway for you. Chronic fatigue and shovelling do not mix well. Sorry hun!

[cadithial.livejournal.com]

want to borrow my snowblower? The association covers plowing my driveway.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Hmm. We'd appreciate that, actually, because then we could see if we were right on the "wrestling a snowblower is nontrivial on that driveway" theory without having to spend multiple hundreds of dollars to do it.

[cadithial.livejournal.com]

don't suppose you have a pickup? It's a rather large blower. If not, I'll have to coordinate with someone. I also need to figure out how to start it :P It's brand new and never been used, although it was a floor model. I've got the books in pdf format.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Alas but no; we have a Saturn. Why don't you hold off on calling anybody until after the New Year, when we'll actually be around. Much appreciated, though.

[cadithial.livejournal.com]

No problem. I'll see if I can't get it running in the meantime :)