When I retired for the night on Thursday the maximum predication in my town for snow was 3″ to 6″. I woke up to 24 inches of wet heavy snow.

This was three days after I watched my snowthrower depart on a truck to be repaired.  The drive belts and plate were severely worn after cleaning up after the last storm dropped two feet of snow on my three hundred foot driveway.

We are now struck in the house since not even my Honda Element (AWD) can handle that much snow. I’ve been trying to get a plow to clear a path but since I always do the job myself I don’t have a relationship with a regular plow guy. And since any Tom, Dick or Harry with a pick-up and a plow can’t handle this much snow and my long, narrow driveway I need a guy with a large truck and packing a big blade.  Since this storm was unexpected, they are all out working on their regular customers.

Hence, snowbound. Day Two. With a eighty-five year old (mother) and a seventy-eight year old (deaf aunt).

Update: So, after a day of not having my calls to plowing contractors returned.  I’m standing at the end of the driveway attempting to (hand) shovel a space for my neighbors husband to park.   A guy and his wife, in their F350 with a plow attached, stop and begin negotiations. Well, not much of an negotiation. Sellers market.  You see, all last year was a washout for plowing contractors with almost zero snow on the ground and never any more at any one time than a person could sweep away with a broom. Nothing this year until the big February storm. Then nothing and nothing else forecast to fall as late as Tuesday. Warming temperatures until the beginning of Spring.  (So I sent my snowthrower off for repair…WELL! Why not?)

A lot of guys and landscapers pulled the plowing equipment from the front of the trucks, after all the price of gas is an excellent reason to get rid of hundreds of pounds of excess weight from any vehicle.

$200 bucks.  God Bless the market economy.

The Path to Spring!