Have the winter blues got ever got you down? Have you ever experienced the feeling of dread as you don your overcoat in anticipation of the mounds of snow that await your cold feet outside your door, down your entire driveway, and all around your car? Rural residents must deal with the trials and tribulations that come with a long driveway and meandering walkways, while urban dwellers must face the task of shoveling out their cars against the growing mounds of snow residue built up by snow plow activity.
How can you break this defeatist feeling? How can you do battle with the snow most efficiently. The key to wining the war against winter lies heavily in attitude, but also in tools and tactic. Let us take the urban scenario first. You live in the middle of Boston and have street parking only. Your steps are small, and your walkway minimal. Shoveling to your car is no issue, but trying to dig yourself out of the street snow and plow pile-up is a back-breaking chore. For this chore you need the proper equipment. You need two good shovels, one ice scraper, and a brush or broom that will not scratch your car. In your snow arsenal you must have a steel shovel. The plastic shovel is not match for the ice-packed snow. Steel shovels are the only tools that can break the tough ice. The other shovel you will need is a smaller, narrower, yet durable, plastic shovel. This shovel is used for delicate spots, like under tires, and between closely parked cars. The scrapper and broom are for your car, that is, once you reach it.
It’s five o’clock in the morning and you need to be at work by 7. There has been a mini-blizzard in your town, and you need to shovel away seven inches of snow before taking off for your forty-five minute, now seventy-minute commute. Before you brush your teeth, get your coffee, or read the paper, get on your snow boots. Never leave the shoveling for last because you cannot plan for unforeseen events that may occur. The first step is to get to your car and start it. Turn the defroster on full blast. This will save you some trouble in the long run, even if you got your feet wet in the process of leaping through the foot-deep snow. Next, grab your shovel and start digging out to your car. Once you have your entrance way cleared (which is important for the safety of your neighbors), attack the wheels of the car.
Clear all snow from under the tires, and then use the broom to get the snow out of the grooves. Before you shovel off around the sides of the car, wipe the snow off your roof, windshields, etcetera. Why make extra shoveling for yourself after you’ve already done the preliminaries? Once the car is de-snowed, shovel the snow away from your car, being careful not to place it in front of another, or in the way of the pedestrians. Once your have cleared the way continue to scrap the ice, if there is any, off your windshield. Once you have de-iced your car, hop in the shower and get ready for work. It is not recommended to keep your keys in the ignition, however, as your car may be stolen.
If your town has experienced an ice-storm, and not a snow blizzard, you will need to employ the steel shovel more liberally. Use force with the shovel and attack large chunks of ice to break the hold. Clearing a pathway to your door is not only honorable, but mandatory in some towns and cities. This is for the safety of postal service people as well as neighbors. If the ice is simply too tough, even for the steel wonder, apply salt to the ice to melt it. The last step is to sprinkle sand or kitty litter around the vicinity. These add as grips for shoes and signal to walkers to be careful.
For those people who live in rural areas the battle against snow is different, but the same tools apply. While you may not have to deal with maneuvering your shovel around other parked cars, you are in for hours of backbreaking work if you have a traditionally long, weaving rural driveway or front entrance that needs attention. Having the proper tools, the will to shovel hard, and a large supply of salt and sand is imperative if you are a home owner, regardless of where.
