Repurposing at its Best Aha! Beat you this year, VDOT!

For the first time in my life, I actually had to shovel snow last week. My car has something called SmartTrak, which proved not to be so smart in the snow, resulting in a lot of sliding sideways out of the driveway and into the yard. So, get out the snow shovel and go to work.

The first thing I did, though, was to clear the steps of snow, again something I don’t usually do. I feel more secure stepping down into snow than possible ice, so I usually just leave the steps alone. However, when discussing this with The Neighbor last week, he was most offended. “What if you fall and break your arm?! Then I’ll have to come over and help you do stuff. How inconsiderate!” So, I shoveled the snow off the steps first.

I began by shoveling a track for the wheels on both sides of the car, never mind the middle. That little bit of sleet we got on Saturday made a hard crust inside the snow, so I got rid of the snow one layer at a time. And I did it smart (unlike my car) – push the shovel into the snow, bend my knees, lift with my legs, and toss the snow off to the side. Worked like a charm; no aching back the next morning. Of course, the higher temperatures on Sunday really helped with the process.

When I got within ten feet or so of the sidewalk at the end of the driveway, I stopped cold. There it was: that three-feet-tall, two-feet-thick wall of ice and snow left by the oh-so-efficient VDOT snowplow drivers. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the hours they put in making travel possible most everywhere when it snows. It’s cold and dark out there when they’re working and, for the most part, they do a great job. But, please, can’t they figure out some way not to block the ends of all the driveways?

Anyway, like a bolt out of the blue came the memory of a garden tool I’d bought several years ago and used very little. In fact, it was on the back row of the racks in the garage and I had to move several rakes to get to it. It’s an edger – long handle, steel half-moon-shaped blade with a razor sharp edge. I climbed on top of that ice wall and started slicing. In no time, I had a pile of ice chunks that I unceremoniously shoveled into the road from whence it came. I got a good running start in the car and blasted right out of the driveway.

I want to thank the young lady that appeared from down the road and pitched in to help me shovel the last chunks of ice away. Her willingness to work impressed me until she said she was concerned because “you’re like a grandma out here.” Well, I was and I am. But no matter; I got the job done.