So the wood is stacked. 8.5 face cords of it. It took multiple days, and gallons of sweat were lost in the process.
The leaves have been raked…well, mostly. There are still a few piles somewhere under the snow which will be sure to be absolutely delightful to attend to come spring. What I can’t understand is that Hubby keeps cutting down trees (He did not cut all our wood. There’s just not the time for that.), but the amount of leaves does not seem to be decreasing. (We are not tree-huggers up here. We are unapologetic tree-burners. Have you seen the price of a tank of propane? Let’s just say that heating totally with propane for a full winter would equal the cost of a really lavish trip to Disney World. And if I have to choose between hugging a tree and enjoying a lavish trip to Disney World, the mouse would win every time!)
The first snow has fallen…and the second…and the third…and the…I don’t know. I’ve lost count. This week has been one of the most bizarre November weeks I can ever recall.
So this week I learned how to run the snowblower. I’ve lived up here for 22 years and have never felt the need to know how to use one before. There was one ill-fated attempt last winter when I thought I would give it a go. I had my dad on the phone attempting to walk me through the get ‘er running process. It was a no go. (How frustrating to be talking to the man who used to OWN the snowblower now parked in your garage and discover that he has no idea how to talk you through starting it up!)
This year, though, I decided it was time to learn. So I got Hubby outside to show me what was what. It all looked so simple, until I saw that pull cord…you know, like they have on lawn mowers. I have a very bad relationship with pull cords. Let’s just say that my bad feelings toward pull cords came about when we owned a lawnmower that I not-so-affectionately referred to as Demon Spawn.
I am proud to say, though, that I overcame my fear and got it going today all on my own. Sure, I could leave this “manly” job for the man in the family, but even though a feminist I am not, I think it’s important for me to know how to do these kinds of things.