That snow blower pill works!

My friend Terri, a life-long Michigan resident and self-professed snow lover, recently chided me for not enjoying the snow. It’s not that I simply didn’t like playing in the snow; I couldn’t say I thought it was beautiful, either. I had a good reason: when I saw snow falling I didn’t think, “Oh, diamonds in the sky,” or, “Isn’t it gorgeous when it sparkles in the light?” No, all I could think was, “Dang, now I have to shovel the driveway.” And that, my friends, is not what I consider a good time.

For the past four years I’ve told Sean we needed a snow blower. “We have a snow blower – his name’s Michael,” would be Sean’s answer.

What Sean failed to understand was the immense guilt I felt when Michael was shoveling in freezing weather and I was inside my toasty warm house. Which meant I’d go out to help in order to shorten the amount of time Michael was out there. Should I have felt that way? Probably not. Whether it was rational or not, I couldn’t just be inside while he froze his fingers shoveling.

Something else Sean didn’t understand is shoveling is not a quick chore. It takes us at least an hour to shovel the drive and sidewalks. That was an hour not spent on school, an hour out of my life I’d never get back. If I’m going to waste an hour I’d certainly pick something more exciting (and certainly much warmer) than shoveling the driveway.

So last Thursday when I heard four to six inches were expected, I knew what I had to do. I went to Lowe’s and bought a snow blower. The two salesmen thought Amy and I were wholly incapable of running the machine. I simply said, “Show me how it works.” They did, I paid for it, they loaded it into the back of my Tahoe and I drove it home.

I got home and told Michael and Sean they needed to unload something from my car. When Michael opened the hatch I heard him holler, “Yes!” I couldn’t help but smile.

And as I watched the snow fall all night Thursday I realized I wasn’t filled with dread. I now had a snow blower with an electric start that would clear my driveway of the white stuff in record time. All of a sudden the reflection of the snow in the street light wasn’t ugly. It was beautiful.

I know Terri will be pleased.