A big snow storm hit the Aurora area on

the 3rd of Feb, 2012. The snow started

falling on the evening of the 2nd. The

temperature dropped, and the snow kept

falling. On Friday, the snow got heavier,

and it kept snowing; all day! The place

where Kim and I work declared a 'code

red' event. They were closed for all but

'mission essential'. We got a paid day off.

Getting a day off because of snow isn't

always fun. No sleigh rides around White

Potato lake for this kid. No snowmobiling

across the frozen tundra, no sledding at

knob hill... A snow day means extra work

for most folks. Trading three hours of

back breaking work for eight hours of

work in front of a computer? Those five

free hours better be well spent!

Time to get to work! This chore is made

much more bearable when I listen to

some podcasts. My favorite? The No

Agenda podcast with Adam Curry and

John C. Dvorak. "In the morning!"

I shall conquer this snow. No problem!

Good thing I've got a warm coat (down

filled) and a good snowblower. I can't

imagine how difficult this would have been

without a snowblower. Well, actually I can.

I still remember that snow storm in West

Virginia; 36" in 24 hours, and no

snowblower. It took me three days to

clear the driveway.

It was actually pretty easy going at first.

P1050710

I really should have distributed the snow

more evenly, and stayed away from the

snow in the road.

This year (2012) has brought us more

snow than usual. We're already above

average for the amount of snow, and the

season is far from over.

The snow at the end of the driveway was

very heavy and wetter than the rest. The

longer I worked on the driveway the

heavier it became. I really need a more

powerful snowblower.

This isn't fun anymore.

I even had some help from a neighbor

(thanks Greg). He ran his snowblower

down the sidewalks on this side of the

street. His snowblower was much larger,

and it didn't look like he was having any

problem with the snow. If it hadn't taken

me three hours to clear my driveway (and

part of the sidewalk), I would have helped

some other folks. Unfortunately, but the

time I finished, I was completely

exhausted.

Almost done now. A three stall garage

means a lot of driveway.

That snow bank is way bigger when you

look at it from back here.

Finally finished!

One snowblower, two shovels, one tired

Robert.

Robert conquers snowstorm!

O.k. Kim, you can stop taking photos now.

O.k. I'm just acting silly now.

Shovel - Made in canada; where they

know what snow is all about.

I started around 0900, and finished at

1200. No more snow. By noon it had

stopped snowing, and the driveway was

clear.

A little bit of celebrating...

O.k. Seriously, you can stop taking

pictures.

I think I'll take a little break now. Right

here...

Time to get up, take a shower, and take

Kim to the grocery store. No rest for

Robert!

Oh, my aching back!

Photos copyright Kim Vaessen - photos taken February of 2012

Webpage author - Robert Vaessen