The shovel and broom worked fine for the first couple of light snowfalls, which came only after a record-breaking stretch (330+ days?) without measurable snow. But then it came -- not powder, but good wet snow, the kind for packing snowballs and building snowmen. The sticky stuff. The heavy stuff.
Lesson 1: You can push it to the limit, but chances are pretty good there's going to be a significant snowfall or two before the season is over. It's just a matter of time; you can only avoid it so long, and then...
So I dug out the snowblower. I'd been through that scenario, knew I'd have to move the lawnmower and picnic table, but that was no big deal. Slight glitch -- the long extension cords were still tied up with the Christmas lights on the front of the house, which by this time of year we've always taken to calling "snow lights." So I drag the machine from the shed, through the snow, to the garage where I can plug it in with a shorter cord.
[For those of you not in the suburbs of a northern city, there are plenty of substitute examples: checking the battery backup for the sump pump, or in urban low- or high-rises, backing up your hard disk(s)]
- Pump up the tires? (riding on the rims)
- Glad I had gas
- Substitute extension cord
Lesson 2: Do the maintenance you know you should do when you know you should do it.
POSTSCRIPT (added 4-9-13): So, here's a link to the very public, in-print version of this tale. http://www.ffjournal.net/item/11405-back-to-plan-a.html
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