The storm is over

The winter storm is over. Yesterday we had blowing snow with high winds. Our driveway was covered with about 30 cm (approx. 1 ft) of snow, even though only around 15 cm of snow fell. It’s the wind that creates snowdrifts. We had nearly 2 ft in front of the garage door. It was cold this morning. Minus 34 C, felt like minus 44.

My wife and I went out to clear the driveway at 11:00 am and were done by noon. We have a long and wide driveway and it usually takes us about one hour to clean it...if we both work at it. I wore my snowmobile suit, my head covered with a balaclava inside the hood, and I was comfy warm. On my hands I wore a pair of woollen gloves (no fingers) inside a pair of leather gloves (without fingers, also) and they did the trick. My hands didn’t get cold. Usually it’s the fingers that get cold first.

Fortunately, my snow blower behaved. I had some trouble with it last year, so I gave it a tune-up in the fall, but then the belt that drives the blower blades ripped and I had to replace it. It was a good thing the belt ripped right after I finished with blowing the driveway, giving me the chance and the time to get a new belt before the next snowfall. Sometimes the Universe is kind. I just wish it would have been kind enough not to give me this cold I’m fighting right now. My voice is rough because of a sore throat and it is an effort to talk. So I’m using my hands a lot when I communicate with my wife. I would have rather stayed inside today instead of blowing snow, but if it isn’t done right after the storm, the snow turns hard and heavy, making it difficult to blow. Well, we did it...until the next snowstorm.

Now the sun is shining and it doesn’t even look as if we had a snow storm. They did the street overnight and everything is back to normal. We didn’t go anywhere yesterday. The highways were snow-covered and slippery, the visibility low. Unless someone really needs to go somewhere, like work, it is foolish to even try. There were plenty of accidents, people getting stuck in the snow or sliding off the road. However, there are always those who have to tempt fate, feeling invulnerable and secure in their ability to manoeuvre a vehicle. Until Mother Nature proves them wrong. We probably wouldn’t even have made it out of our driveway, never mind trying to plough through the deep snowdrifts on our road. Difficult, if not impossible, without a 4 wheel drive.

We had invited some friends over for yesterday evening but had to cancel and reschedule.

So this year goes out like a lion for us. We already have plenty of snow and the temperature is below normal for this time of year. I wonder what the rest of the winter is going to be like.

I cleaned the birdfeeders and put in new seeds for the birds. We mustn’t forget about our feathered little friends. They suffer in this cold weather and need all the help they can get to make it through the winter. All we get now are sparrows and chickadees; sometimes a few woodpeckers and blue jays come for a snack. We love them all, even the lonely little squirrel that fights its way through the snow, climbs up the chokecherry tree and jumps onto the roof of the feeder. Maybe in the summer we’ll chase the little guy away, now he (or maybe it’s a she) is welcome. We have enough sunflower seeds to feed everyone.