I am not a fan of the deep snow, break your back to shovel and stay indoors for days...Kind of Snow. The word Nor'easter sends shivers down my spine as that word conjures up many bad...backbreaking before I owned a snow blower memories.
There was a time here that we had one snow storm after another and the piles of snow on the front side walk were almost as tall as me. The only good part of that was that it became a wall of sorts so the city couldn't throw more snow on my front side walk and PORCH as they plowed. And yes, I meant Porch. Inside my gate...up my stairs onto the front porch. They were really moving fast up the street and the momentum of the speed and the large amounts of snow they were moving combined to make a wave of heavy snow that splashed my door. My house has a pretty far set back from the street.
I learned (the hard way) to not be shoveling or blowing the snow when they are in the midst of clearing the roads. Not only because of the wave of snow you will be covered in...but two winters ago they almost killed me on my front sidewalk as I was snow blowing. Wearing a green jacket pushing a red Craftsman the jerks driving the plows actually cut the plows towards my sidewalk not the road...(I guess they wanted to hit my house windows this time) and I was there. Not hidden, not invisible...green and red against a white background.
I was standing still out of fear of moving I would slip, holding the handles tight and I saw the blade and the blades guide pole next to me on the first ones pass. The second plow followed so close behind he couldn't see me so he too passed so close to me I saw his blade. My husband was screaming, my neighbors out shoveling were screaming....and the plow drivers turned the plow back to the center of the road and went on their way. Maybe they thought it was funny...I didn't. I was covered in snow...shaking from fear not snow...and mad as hell.
Louie wanted to go to the City Garage and well...you get the idea. I went in and called the garage to report what happened...and Tony who said he was in charge could care less. I told him I was calling because he really didn't my husband to. He ya, ya'd me. Nothing changed. They still plow on my sidewalk and it still comes up on my porch. When the snow melted after the incident...you could see they came up the center of the road and cut the plow towards my corner...came up on my sidewalk and centered again after my sidewalk....And we know this because they left a trail with the blade as it gouged the blacktop in my neighbors gutter as they approached me....and across my sidewalk so much I had to get someone to redo it.
So that...is why I am not a big fan of Nor'easters. And December 29th we had one that left some heavy snow to shovel and wet enough for a snowman to be built.
Usually Lou goes back into the house when I go into snowman mode but I planned on building just a quick one so he stayed and watched. He helped with the lifting of the middle part...and I would like to blame him for its sort of tilt. I got Mister Frosty assembled...grabbed the scarf and hat, a few indoor décor stones and a carrot from inside and grabbed two twigs from under the snow beneath my dogwood tree for his arms. Lou smiled and said he knew I didn't clear them up when we raked the leaves for this very reason.
All finished I snapped a few pics and went inside because I was nearly as frozen as the snowman. We were out shoveling for hours prior. When I looked at the pictures I wasn't happy with them so I came right back outside only to find he was now headless.
The temperatures had started to rise and I suppose with the tilt of the middle piece, it slipped off. I stood outside laughing at the little stone eyes looking up at me from the ground. So all I could do was ...redo his head.
This time, his head was a bit smaller and so far it is still on and our snowman sentry is at his post.
We went to deliver food yesterday to my father in law and I couldn't help but laugh at the snowman now so tipped, but still intact, he looks like he had one heck of a New Year's Eve.
Today it's raining outside and I noticed he is still standing there in my side yard...but his button eyes have fallen out...as did his carrot nose....noticeably nibbled on by the rabbit in my yard. His shape is shrinking as he gets wet and soon he will disappear...
Just in time for another Nor'easter.
