Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Syracuse Drift

We've had a snowier stretch of weather lately than any I can remember before, here in central NY or while growing up in central lower Michigan. Around two o'clock this afternoon, I broke from grading WRT205 projects and laced up my boots so I could shovel the yard. Really this only meant carving out enough space for Y. to dododo his business. He seems to be just slightly more beagle than pug, which means he's a sniffer. Cold temps and snow disorient him mightily, so the trips to the restyard are panicky and vertiginous. He just whirls around, alarmed, until it no longer makes sense to seek a guiding odor where there is none.

With a small parcel of yard shoveled, next I recruited Ph. to lend me a hand with the front walk and driveway. All preventive shoveling, considering that it was still snowing steadily while we cleared paths. We worked non-stop for an hour, pausing only long enough for me to reminisce about the nice snowblower my dad used or to wonder aloud through five or six Fred Sanford-esque close calls. Damn sure can feel my heart pounding. Is that right? And the banks at the edges of the drive piled higher than the Palentine Hill. Happy snow-blitzed Lupercalia.

We've been good about clearing the driveway in recent weeks. Might have been just 18 inches or so when we worked it over this afternoon. And at least four or five inches have fallen since then. Granted, it's nothing like the winterized souls are getting just north of us in Oswego and surrounding areas. Over 100 inches in a week? I'm crying uncle and whining about my back with only a couple of feet of snow. I've never shoveled a roof, nor would I have the snow fortitude to undertake such a thing even if it means imminent collapse. Go on and cave in for all I care, I might say (while on my cell phone to U-Haul).

More drifts...

• I visited Syracuse for the first time three years ago on V-Day.
• Every V-Day my mom bought J. and I each a Whitman's Sampler. Every chocolate was tagged, so there were no excuses for eating those filled with coconut. In fact, the coconut-filled were mom's favorite and there was hell to pay for (oops, did I? was that one coco...?) eating one of them.
• Last night D. and I attended a CPR class (with a special focus on baby CPR), which meant I missed my weekly hoops game in Liverpool. The game was yike! quite a thrashing. To Illinois, no less. But we'll get another shot at them late in the season.

Posted by Derek Mueller at February 14, 2007 9:00 PM to Orange