Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Snowy Day


Try as I might, I couldn't avoid taking the younger kids out to play in the snow any longer. After we got buried in snow on Monday, I decided to let them play while I shoveled. Lame. Actually it was good workout. But I couldn't get that workout until everyone was properly dressed which took 30 MINUTES. Ugh. But since I invested the time in bundling them, they were very happy and comfortable out in the cold. Don't they look sweet and happy? Especially Bearbear who tried to ride the much too small tricycle while spastically singing the crazy frog song. I have weird kids.

I didn't want Jeff to have to come home from work and shovel in the dark, and there was so much snow I wasn't sure if he could get the car into the driveway (that car is a fighter but lately it's barely limping along), so I decided it was upon me. In previous years I've gotten in trouble with him for doing that, I don't know why he thinks a woman that's 6 months pregnant shouldn't be shoveling snow, talk about over reacting...heh......heh. After a little less than an hour of heaving dense snow, every muscle straining under the weight of the shovel, I stood at the top of the driveway, exhausted, admiring my hard work. I was quite pleased. Our driveway can park 5 cars (I left a little of one side undone- it didn't really matter, we weren't going to walk or drive on that part), so it was no small task. I also shoveled a narrow path to the front porch, just enough for one person to get through.

As I stood there, being rather pleased with myself, thinking how proud my husband would be with me for working so hard and saving him from the task, and hoping that the workout burned off the chocolate cake I'd eaten at the in-law's the night before, a kind man (who looked to be about 60) with a snow blower saw that a poor weak woman was shoveling all by her own little self. So after he finished the walks at the church next door, he sweetly came over and helped me out, finishing the part I hadn't cared to do, and cleaning up the edges. I couldn't thank him over the noise of the snow blower, so I paused from snapping photos of the kids and blew him a kiss as he left and he just laughed in reply.

We went in the house when we lost the sunlight. It then took me 20 more minutes to peel all the layers off the children, and clean up the rapidly melting snow that we all tracked in.

Then my husband came home, scanned the driveway, looked at me and said, "Wow, who came and used a snow blower on the driveway?".

Come ON.
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5 comments:

skcoe said...

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I'm laughing so HARD! You're the very best storyteller I know. I hope you strangled him while telling him about all the hard work you did for HIM...

Dumb boys!

Babe in Boysland said...

In Jeff's defense, he had no idea I shoveled because it looked obviously done by machine. I'd like to blame it on the kind older man who spent 5-10 extra mintues out in the cold just to gyp me out of the credit.

Aubs said...

I agree with "Skcoe" you are the best story teller around! You have such great detail and insite. I could listen to you talk and tell stories for hours. I love your guts!
The girls always love climing on my lap and looking at your pictures of your cute boys. How did you get the collage to do just four? I can only get mine to do nine.

Courtney said...

You are a better woman than I!! That snow sat in my driveway until Curtis pulled in to shovel it! Although, I did shovel a little yesterday after a light snowfall...but I would have never survived shoveling that big dump of snow! I made sure that I called Curtis at work to tell him that I shoveled though, so that he knew he should praise and appreciate me! :)

Wendy Lady said...

Reminds me of the winter of '83 when our snow never stopped. I had 4 kids ... three of them were 3 and younger. Clive took our only car to church at the detention center and I was left alone to get myself and the four kids to church alone by 8:30 a.m. My 75 year-old next door neighbor would come and shovel a path from the street to the front porch to make way for us to go to church with him and his wife. He was my hero!