-
Kurt Johnson
“Snow Day” means different things to different people, and the older I get the concept is losing its luster.
Back in the day, those two magic words meant no school, which is a gift like no other for any school-age kid — an unexpected day of fun with no obligations whatsoever. I have nothing but fond memories of the sledding adventures, snowball fights and just hanging out with my friends when the white stuff fell hard in Chase County back in the 1970s. I seem to recall that my friends and I somehow managed to navigate the streets and highways enough to get together and have a good time, though there was way too much snow on the ground to go to school or do anything productive. Go figure:-)
I like an unplanned day off as much as at the next guy, mind you, but the reality is that back-to-back snow storms, howling winds and bitter cold temperatures all add up to a lot of physical labor at my age, and not the kind I enjoy.
Shoveling snow has to be THE worst possible gig there is for an aging and/or aching back. Leaning over to lift inconsistent shovels full of snow on slippery slopes is a recipe for trouble in my book. Even if my scoopage is limited to the front steps and a little bit of sidewalk, I’ll be paying the price for it more and for much longer than I did not so long ago.
Hence my new favorite machine, at least on snow days, is that four-wheeler which sometimes goes a year or more without a second notice in the garage. I think I used it once, maybe, last year, and not a lot over the past five years, but in the last 10 days it’s quite literally been a God-send and a back-saver.
When you live in Nebraska, or a lot of Midwestern states for that matter, a snowblower is for many just a required living utensil, like a fork, spoon and a knife at the dinner table. With 6-8 inches of white powder blanketing the frozen tundra, not once but twice, there is absolutely no way I’m getting the driveway and sidewalks cleared without an engine other than my own providing the power. Either that, or I’m simply hiring it done, which is still an expense I would rather avoid.
Truth be told, there is an odd sense of satisfaction that comes with a newly cleared property, the same sense I get after mowing the lawn each week during the summer. It needs doing, feels good to get the heart pumping and limbs moving, and our humble abode looks better when the job is done. Home Ownership 101.
As for my 4-wheeled friend, the weight of my heavy duty Toro gives me a sense of stability, even walking on a slippery surface, and if the snow is light and fluffy it’s actually kind of fun to connect with nature in the brisk morning air. Ahhh, winter in Nebraska.
I’m over that feeling already for 2024, thank you very much, and it’s only mid-January. Go figure.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
