Between 11 a.m. Friday, December 19--the first day of my Christmas vacation this year--and 1:30 p.m. on December 22 (today), I shoveled out my 100-foot driveway from one end to the other SEVEN times! It's taken me more than nine hours total. In almost 23 years of continuous residency in this area, I've never had to shovel out my driveway that often in a month, let alone half a week. And it wasn't the quick, whisk-the-dust-off kind of "shoveling" one typically does here in November and most of December (as opposed to the Southern Tier of counties in Western New York, where it starts snowing heavily the day after July 4th). Over the last three and a half days, it probably totalled 2 feet of well-packed powder, wind-driven into drifts twice that high and more, that I ought to be charging folks to ski on.
In fact, the twin peaks at the end of my driveway are tall enough, at almost 6 feet each, to make pretty good beginner's hills. Hey, I could convert my house into a ski lodge and really clean up! Except "cleaning up" is about all I've been doing this weekend. No more "snow" posts the rest of this week--I promise!
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2 comments:
Ahhh...shoveling the driveway. I really dont miss that job! Could you have found a house with a longer driveway? I thought that you would get a snowblower when you became empty nesters! Well I wish that I was there to help you, or make hot chocolate for you when you were done! Have fun with all that snow dad! We will sure be thinking of you and the NY gang on Christmas. We will probably sleep in because we are going to go to midnight mass so, we'll call ya'll at Mima's when we wake up! Love you!
Must be a macho male Fleming thing. Michael refuses to buy a snow blower for our rather long and wide driveway too. Something about putting hair on your chest and being a man!! Of course that tradition will probably stop with Michael as Connor and Aaron just loooooooove shoveling the driveway!! However, as he approaches the half of a century mark, his bones may give him no choice! Happy new year, Tom. Our love to you and the rest of the NY Flemings. xoxoxoxo
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