The temperatures are up to about 10 degrees now, a lot warmer than earlier this week! After the kids got on the bus for school, I popped in 4 cheesecakes (2 lemon, 1 New York, and 1 Chocolate Chip - all organic!) and then wanted to head back to bed to sleep off this stupid head cold, but no, the driveway was calling me, by name, "Hey, lazy sick mom, get out here and clear me off, NOW!" So, I took a couple of high strength cold meds and headed out to tackle the newly fallen 5-inches of snow. Tried to start the snowblower, wouldn't start. Tried again, no luck. Finally called hubby, my last resort. He forgot to tell me about the very little, teeny, tiny button on top that looks more like a screw cap than a starter button. Yup, it started right up! I let it run for a bit before engaging the auger, as hubby suggested. Then, clamped down on the auger handle and the drive handle. It self-propelled just fine and took me with it across the driveway at a speed I wasn't quite ready for, but with no auger action. So in effect, it just pushed a bunch of snow across the driveway but didn't "blow" it up, up and away like it is supposed to do. Turned it off again so that I could again call hubby and hear him on my cell phone. "Hey honey, the @$#@%#! auger won't turn when I engage the handle, what the @#@%$# is up with that?" "Well," he says, "someone must have put it away full of snow the last time it was used and it is now frozen around the blade. Just get a stick and knock it out of there." Uh-huh, a stick. We've got at least a foot and a half of hard snow on the ground and he wants me to find a stick. I rummage through the garage and find a piece of kindling in the bottom of a broken plastic tub. I start poking around the back blade and sure enough, there's a 1/2 inch little teeny piece of ice sitting against one of the blades. A quick tap and . . . it doesn't budge. Another quick knock with the stick . . . nothing. For God's sake, it's a 1/2 inch piece of ice, how hard could it be? Now I'm whacking at that thing with all I've got and it finally flies off, straight at my face. Luckily, it hit my sunglasses, no emergency room visit today. Went back to start it again, engaged the auger, FINALLY! It works! About halfway into snowplowing my long driveway, the cold meds decide to kick in. DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY EQUIPMENT came to mind. I started getting a bit clumsy and lightheaded at this point. It took me a long time to navigate my way around the drive, slipping on the ice a few times, and trying to remember to move the 'shoot' to blow the snow away from me and with the wind. Several times I basically blew the snow up into the air where the wind got a hold of it and showered it straight back down on top of me. By the time I came inside, there was as much snow on me as there was on the trees that line our drive. Word to the wise, strong cold meds and snow blowers do not mix well.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Another cold, snowy day and this is how I feel about it.
The temperatures are up to about 10 degrees now, a lot warmer than earlier this week! After the kids got on the bus for school, I popped in 4 cheesecakes (2 lemon, 1 New York, and 1 Chocolate Chip - all organic!) and then wanted to head back to bed to sleep off this stupid head cold, but no, the driveway was calling me, by name, "Hey, lazy sick mom, get out here and clear me off, NOW!" So, I took a couple of high strength cold meds and headed out to tackle the newly fallen 5-inches of snow. Tried to start the snowblower, wouldn't start. Tried again, no luck. Finally called hubby, my last resort. He forgot to tell me about the very little, teeny, tiny button on top that looks more like a screw cap than a starter button. Yup, it started right up! I let it run for a bit before engaging the auger, as hubby suggested. Then, clamped down on the auger handle and the drive handle. It self-propelled just fine and took me with it across the driveway at a speed I wasn't quite ready for, but with no auger action. So in effect, it just pushed a bunch of snow across the driveway but didn't "blow" it up, up and away like it is supposed to do. Turned it off again so that I could again call hubby and hear him on my cell phone. "Hey honey, the @$#@%#! auger won't turn when I engage the handle, what the @#@%$# is up with that?" "Well," he says, "someone must have put it away full of snow the last time it was used and it is now frozen around the blade. Just get a stick and knock it out of there." Uh-huh, a stick. We've got at least a foot and a half of hard snow on the ground and he wants me to find a stick. I rummage through the garage and find a piece of kindling in the bottom of a broken plastic tub. I start poking around the back blade and sure enough, there's a 1/2 inch little teeny piece of ice sitting against one of the blades. A quick tap and . . . it doesn't budge. Another quick knock with the stick . . . nothing. For God's sake, it's a 1/2 inch piece of ice, how hard could it be? Now I'm whacking at that thing with all I've got and it finally flies off, straight at my face. Luckily, it hit my sunglasses, no emergency room visit today. Went back to start it again, engaged the auger, FINALLY! It works! About halfway into snowplowing my long driveway, the cold meds decide to kick in. DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY EQUIPMENT came to mind. I started getting a bit clumsy and lightheaded at this point. It took me a long time to navigate my way around the drive, slipping on the ice a few times, and trying to remember to move the 'shoot' to blow the snow away from me and with the wind. Several times I basically blew the snow up into the air where the wind got a hold of it and showered it straight back down on top of me. By the time I came inside, there was as much snow on me as there was on the trees that line our drive. Word to the wise, strong cold meds and snow blowers do not mix well.
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13 comments:
Another word to the wise . . . "Wait until your 16.5 year old son gets home and have him do it". Sheesh you did that on cold meds? Surprised you didn't stick your hand in there when it was running. Listen Ma Ingalls, it wasn't a life or death situation.
You're right, but I wanted to get at it before the 16/5 yr old son, me, the hubby, and then the 16/5 yr old son again, all drove on it, packing it into harder slabs of icy snow. I thought about also loading the wood box, but remembered the 11 yr old, the 14 yr old, and the 16 yr old could all do that tonight. So today, I too took a day off and did not keep the wood stove going. So much for Ma Ingalls, I'm feeling more and more like Ma Kettle!
My personal motto: if it snows after March 1st I don't shovel - it's just not my problem.
Our blower ISN'T self propelled, hence my motto.
Was anyone out with a video camera filiming you while you staggered around the driveway, operating heavy equipment while under the influence? Please say yes.
Sorry, MG, no one was here to capture the moment. But I'm sure it would have provided much amusement for all!
While snowblowers and cold meds don't mix, sometimes cold meds and just the right amount of wine do. Then you don't even care if it's snowing or sunning.
A video of that might be the thing to bring Bob Saget back to America's Funniest Home Videos. Isn't that really what we all secretly wish for?
Again Kirelimel, you rock.
Wine and cold meds - just sounds so cozy, doesn't it??
Bob Saget back on TV? Yes that would just make my day. I just love corny comics with prepared jokes and canned laughter. The current guy is no better.
I have a mental picture of Lucille Ball operating a snoblower while under cold meds. Anyone else?
I felt just like Lucille Ball, except at a few expletives to her dialogue. As far as wine and cold meds, well, lil sis and her new love can attest to the fact that that combo doesn't work well with me either, I tried playing 500 while on that cocktail combo. Whoa!
I'm cracking up~ This, of course, coming from someone who has never, ever shoveled or blown snow in her life!
Bring those cold meds with you tomorrow - I'll have them with MY wine.
Was anyone out with a video camera filiming you while you staggered around the driveway, operating heavy equipment while under the influence? Please say yes.
No, but there was about a half dozen of us sitting on the hill, drinking beer and laughing our asses off while we watched. Well, there could have been, anyway...
Just keeping you on your toes, CM. heh!
You know, ScottJ, that wouldn't surprise me one bit around here! When we first moved to town about 8 yrs ago, after just two short weeks of living here, my husband went to the local deli counter to buy some cheese, he ordered the Swiss, at which point the friendly meat counter guy informed him, "You know, your wife always buys the provolone." This was my husband's first experience living in Mayberry. ;) I'll share the second one with ya another time.
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