Better to Laugh

End of day one, and the ice won. I thought I would at least get the entire front walk done, but my back gave out around 4:00 p.m. The sun, not son, helped; the son had school. Unfortunately the solar heat melted ice on the roof, and the downspout is on the corner where the front walk begins, so the little space I cleared there filled with water and is now slicker than it was with the original ice. Maybe a spare floor mat would help keep people from slipping.

I was still able to run three miles around 5:30. I know, crazy, right? And thanks to department of transportation, the roads were clean enough that I could run outside. I stretched really well and took a few laps around the kitchen, dining room, and living room. If swimming helps my sore shoulder, then maybe running would feel okay for my back. It did feel okay running, but I can’t bend down, pick something up, and turn. Oh darn, I  can’t pick up the laundry basket or the vacuum. Well, off to Starbucks for a little reward!

Almost There!

A Dent in the Driveway

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few thousand words on digging out after the ice storm.

A Beautiful Morning to Be Outside

My trusty friend will be no help today.

Pure Ice

A half an hour worth of chipping...

It's going to be a long day.

We might need a new shovel before I am done!

In my previous blog, I mentioned all the blessings of an ice storm. While humorous, here are a few of the not so pleasant things:

• Steaming crab legs at home in the winter really stinks up the house
• Flipping the light switch out of habit whenever you enter a room during a power outage makes you feel a little nutty, “Dang, I flipped it, again!”
• Sitting in the lovely candlelight knowing that the mouse you saw two days ago hasn’t been caught, yet (update: no more mouse as of this morning)
• Forgetting that you put a pizza in the oven just before the power went out…apparently it will still cook from the residual heat, if you leave it in the oven long enough. Luckily, it was not actually burnt, just extra crispy.

Weather related misfortune can actually be full of blessings. You might have to look for them, but they are there. Here are a few from the last couple of days:

• More Sleep
• Just being home with no agenda
• Spending two solid days hanging with my youngest son and his friend discussing life, faith, religion, school, etc.
• Power outage…forcing us away from the electronic world (once I put my cell phone down) and into a fun evening of playing board games by candlelight
• Quiet…no power means no noise from electronics:  no furnace, no refrigerator, no television…just peaceful quiet