Sunday, January 24, 2016

Snow Shovel One Door Wide

I got a very wide snow shovel over the summer and put it to the test today. It is almost as wide as my front door and it was great. The snow didn't stick to it either. I hope the people who sold it aren't sorry they parted with it. I have shoveled for 3 hours so far and my car is clean all except for the top. I just came in for lunch and must go out again to take advantage of the bright sun. See you later. Maybe I will take down my Christmas wreath too. (Smile) 

The one I mentioned is the green one. My rubber broom with telescoping handle is up front and only a little bit of the head shows in this photo. I use it to clean off my car. Today, I had to start with the big green shovel on the car too. My old standby and favorite shovel for wet snow is the red one. I almost never use the black one with the ergonomic handle. It's too awkward but I might use it on the balcony. See you later.

11 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Good job! Doesn't it feel wonderful to be in good enough shape to do a bit of physical work like that? (You and I are the same age, I'm pretty sure.) Just because our chronological age is at a certain number, it doesn't mean we have to be OLD. ;o} What a beautiful winter wonderland you have at your cottage.

tammy j said...

you're just amazing.
do you know how great it is just to know you? LOLOL!
and webster the wonder dog of course!
in our last snow I cleaned off my balcony and all my stairs with a metal dust pan!
I think it might be time to step up in my tool department after seeing yours! LOLOL
the dust pan worked... but not great for the OLD back.

Content in a Cottage said...

Mama Pea ~ I like shoveling better than vacuuming! I don't feel my age and I like hard physical work. I know you do too. I love looking at an end result that you don't get from a workout at the gym.
co, Rosemary

White Lace and Promises said...

I love your snow lined cottage. It is beautiful!

Linda Sand said...

What clean cut walls you leave. Looks good!

JudyMac said...

Great job, Rosemary! I'll give you an A+. I couldn't have done it. Needless to say, it's going to be wet around your house while the snow is melting away.

The Queen Vee said...

Well done, Rosemary. How much snow did you get, it looks like more than first predicted? My house is a mess, 3 plus feet of snow. I think my neighbor snow blowed a couple of times for us early on in the storm but with the wind and the amount of snow it probably seemed like a losing battle. Ken has been trying to do some shoveling but with his bad back he's not able to do much. I have people who could come and help him but they haven't started plowing the neighborhoods yet. Hopefully Ken will be able to get a car out by Wednesday to pick me up form the airport.

Content in a Cottage said...

tammy j ~ All of my snow shovels are from garage sales. Bought in the summer. When people are moving they think there will never be snow again. Actually ALL of my tools are from estate sales, tag sales, garage sales, thrift shops, etc. All are used and already broken in so I don't have to pamper them. It makes me laugh to imagine shoveling a balcony with a dust pan.
xo, Rosemary

jusaweecatnap said...

That's a good day's work! I get a certain satisfaction from buckling down and dealing with a big snow, too. I rolled my eyes at the pouty voicemail from a certain relative who said she only managed to shovel one foot of snow and gave up. She worries about her fingernails quite a bit. Part of my calm and methodical prep for the "Storm of the Century" was to trim my nails short so I need not worry about them.
One trick I came up with a few years ago was to cover my stairs with vinyl or heavy plastic sheets before it snows, weighted down to keep them from blowing away. The snow and ice do not stick to the plastic, so it's easy to clean them off with a broom, or by shaking. Underneath, the steps are perfectly dry, and thus safer to navigate. One step covering I made from an old camping air mattress that had sprung a leak. I cut the two sides apart and each works well to cover a set of stairs. Nice weight for the purpose. Don't be tempted to walk down the stairs on top of it, though. They can be very slippery, which would defeat the purpose.
I also have taken to storing rock salt in recycled plastic jars with lids (like applesauce or spaghetti sauce). I especially like the ones that have molded hand grips on the side. I find it an easy way to transport a useful amount of salt out to the sidewalk, and easy to sprinkle the salt back and forth without touching it. The lid does pretty well at keeping it dry for storage, though for long-term storage I put the jars into a plastic trash bag.
All in all, I'd be happy if this really was the storm of the century, and not the new norm. I was dismayed to hear a science teacher neighbor say he wanted to get a snowblower (envious of others, I think). I wanted to point out the carbon footprint of a snowblower vs a shovel, and the relationship between said footprints and extreme weather events.

Cleo from Jersey said...

Just saw a facebook video of a woman clean off her car in no time at all using a leaf blower. Genius! Next time for me!

Content in a Cottage said...

justaweecatnap -- I have never had a manicure because I would ruin it within a day. I have hands that work. I always wear work gloves and I use plenty of lotion but I just don't have pretty hands. I don't have any outside stairs so I can't try your plastic trick. Thanks for stopping by the cottage to leave a comment.
xo, Rosemary