Snow Bath

If you're a tad loony, it really pays to have a chick willing to laugh along with you, as opposed to file restraining orders or have you committed.

After a foot of snow Friday, we in the Worcester area were treated to another blast of 13-17" yesterday, leaving about 2 1/2 feet of powder is our front yard. I forgot how much more snow we generally get here than in the Boston area. The last decade or so, living in and around Boston, I convinced myself it just snowed less than when I was a kid, but now I recall noticing on the newscasts as a boy how we in central Massachusetts always seemed to get more snow than everyone else.

I enjoyed a very lazy day yesterday, not leaving the house until I went out to snow blow and shovel at about 8 pm. Tina had done some shoveling during the day, and had cleaned the cars off, which was immensely helpful. The snow blower stalled after about ten feet, and though I got it started, it choked out rather quickly. I realized it was probably running out of gas, astonished that using it once had depleted an entire tank, but after all, it is a pretty small tank.

I jumped in my car and went down to the corner buy a gas can and get some gas. After fueling it up, I was able to get it started, but the thing just had zero punch and wouldn't move even a small amount of snow. I could hear choruses in my head, chanting "that's what ya get for buying a snow blower the day before a storm on "Craig's List"... but hey, we had to do something, and they jacked up the prices around here through the roof on new snow blowers.

Anywho... we wound up shoveling, and it wasn't all that bad.

When I said "I think I'll warm up for my New Year's Day "L Street Brownie" swim with a snow dive in my swim trunks", I was well aware that many women would have said, "what re ya, some kind of an a-hole?" or signed out a restraining order, or perhaps had me committed, but all Tina said was "really?" before getting the camera and going outside.

I realize all you can see in the bottom photo is a cloud of snow...uh, that's would be me.

It was oddly, not all that bad, compared to the actual January 1st swim, which is an awesome rush, especially afterward. The snow was light and fluffy and it was cold enough that it didn;t really stick to me and came right off when I got up and brushed myself off. I was a little concerned that our neighbors (who recently replaced the "McCain/Palin" sign with "Romney for President") might be a little concerned, but no cops showed up. I guess that's why we wear the swim trunks in the first place. No point in adding "public nudity" or "indecent exposure"to the competency hearings.