Thursday, March 01, 2007

New Toys

Well, I got a snowblower this week. I never had one before, and it's not quite the same as a lawnmower. That is, I have never come inside from mowing the lawn with a solid 6 inch crust of mulch up my legs and my hair stiff with grass clippings.

I'm still getting the hang of remembering to point the funnel away from the inside of the garage, for example. And did you know that when you've got snow shooting over 20 from the top of your snowblower, it's a good idea not to stand downwind? Literally, my hair froze with all the snow I managed to blow onto myself.

Plus! Snow is more hazardous than lawn. Because more things can hide in 9 inches of snow and mess you up. The first time I tried to use the new snowblower, I managed to run over the cable for the dog leash. Because it was hidden under the snow! I had to leave the darn thing out overnight until I could buy a cable cutter, because it had gotten twisted up really really tight and the I couldn't unhook the cable from the stake (which was solidly set into the frozen ground) because all the clips had frozen closed.

Today, I managed to run over some orange twine. I was trying to do a good deed and do my neighbors' driveway--they've done ours for years, and I thought I'd return the favor. Plus I'm not entirely certain they are back from the Caribbean. So, I'm just at the point where I'm clearing away the snow that I had thrown from the other side of the driveway, when the thing lurches out of my hands and pulls to the left and dies.

And I think I'm maybe too short for the starter cord, because I couldn't get it started again.

It still beats shovelling, though.

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