Defeated MOTHER Again ????

Last night we had the third plowable snowstorm in seven days. This one was about four inches of snow with a quarter inch of rain on top. Temperatures overnight usually below twenty degrees. Since my wife worked last night I was out clearing snow after it turned to freezing rain. When I pulled into the garage after forty minutes of blowing snow, the tractor and my cycle helmet were covered with a layer of ice. Yes I wear the helmet when it is snowing or freezing to keep my face covered with the plastic shield.

I finally wised up enough to stop taking too many chances. Age does give us some wisdom!  Of course because the snow had changed to freezing rain the driveway was a skating rink. Also because the driveway rises about fifteen feet in two and a half car lengths, I call it my suicide drive! I have learned to respect it in thirty years of living here.

About two years I went down the hill in my crocs to get the morning paper. Did not look at all frozen even though it was about twenty five degrees. You guessed right, I hit black ice and my feet went out from under me. Went on my rear, and hit my  head on the black top. When I go down the driveway I always carry my cell phone in my breast pocket of my bibs.

I know you are waiting to find how MOTHER defeated me again. Not wanting to stand again I crawled to the grass at the side on my hands and knees to gain some traction on soft ground. Yes again I ripped my knees crawling on macadam. Now you see why I wanted to marry a nurse. The neighbor girl was walking her dog before school and raced over to help me. Stacey was about fifteen years old and about 110 pounds, but she helped me from my horror story to make a good outcome again.

This morning about 8:30 I heard my neighbor start his snow blower. I was out sanding the driveway from 5 AM to 6 AM so my wife could get up the driveway into the safety of the garage. I saw my neighbor's wife leave about 5:30 AM. She is a nurse too and was going for her day shift job. Aren't women great when it comes to doing what's good for us guys. Lots of people are out in this mess. Bless them all for their service so the world can keep going.

I scraped my driveway again, had my neighbor move his cars from the circle, and got the snow removed so we can get in our cars and not fall on the ice. His son and he helped me with my sidewalk. We also did the neighbor on the other side of me, and I did his driveway with my tractor. Did his driveway three years ago when he went to a business training, for two snows in three days. Plowed to widen the road out to the stop sign too. Said to my neighbor when we finished Carl's walk, it feels good to help each other, like I am  good for something again.

Both neighbors helped me when I was healing from operations. And Carl had two operations on his neck (pinched nerve trouble). They have their house up for sale. It is a bi-level and Carl cannot do the steps so much anymore. Sorry to see them go, been neighbors for thirty years, too. They all are good neighbors. There are five houses on our circle and all the neighbors are kind and helpful.

My life has been really good, except the times I did not listen to my wife. My women friends keep reminding me of that fact! You know how us guys are we forget to listen till we are in pain, then we remember!

Check back and see later this winter if I beat MOTHER again. I wear the ice cleats my wife bought me. Mother Nature is not going to get me with black ice again......I hope!

Blowing and shoveling wore me out, better than my days in the gym, just a lot more slippery. Will sleep for a while, then see what I can get into. Ask my wife, living with me for 42 years, never a dull moment, just a painful one once in a while.