1120 Snow

Thursday, February 15, 2007

We got 14 inches. It would have measured more, but there was sleet off and on during the storm, which made the snow pack down. (I almost wished I had a kid here - this snow is very dense, you can cut it into blocks that hold together, ideal for building an igloo.)

I cleared most of the driveway yesterday (most of the 900 sq ft parking area at the top, and all of the 300'+ length down the hill, except for the last little bit at the bottom, where the Aerio was parked), while it was still snowing, then went out and finished it today. Both vehicles are free, and the UPS truck will have no difficulty turning around at the top.

There was only one problem, but it was almost a showstopper.

Jay was a skier, so there are five or more pairs of very good ski gloves in the container in the closet, including one pair that fits me perfectly. They have clips on the side so you can clip them together as pairs, and I have ALWAYS clipped them together in the closet. The only time they're not clipped together is when I'm wearing them. I wore some last winter to clear the drive. There were none missing last winter.

Yesterday, all I could find were left gloves. There wasn't a single right-hand ski glove in the closet. Given that this is the only place I store the gloves, they were there last year, nobody but me has gone near that closet in years, they're always clipped together, this is very very strange. Add in that Jay had left-side neglect (the left side of his body and the world did not exist for his last year), and it becomes scary. Like Jay decided to go skiing and stopped by for his gloves.

All I had in full pairs were dress gloves in knit and in leather, and gardening gloves.

I put on a pair of knits, and then leather gardening gloves over them, thinking that the knit would keep my hands warm, and the leather would give an additional air space and keep my hands dry. I was out there less than a half hour when the tips of my fingers started hurting. By the time I gave up, they hurt so badly that I was keening as I ran them under tepid water.

When they felt ok again, I put the knit gloves back on, then one of the larger left ski gloves on the left hand. What can I do with the right hand? The ski gloves are so thick that they bend only toward the palm, and the thumb is toward the palm. No way you can wear a left ski glove on a right hand. I ended up with my right hand in the palm area of a left glove, but I couldn't get the fingers arranged, so my right hand was pretty much just a club.

It worked. No more pain. The snowthrower didn't seem to care that I was awkward changing gears.

Third Thursday dinner this evening.
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