What I did AFTER I got home from work

[katallison]

So as I said yesterday, we got a foot of snow over the weekend. Of course, I did not have my car in the garage, for reasons far too lengthy and preposterous to go into at this juncture, but since a snow emergency had been declared, I had to get the sucker moved over to the other side of the street by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. I sort of knew I'd been plowed in by the one snowplow that had cut a swath down the middle of the street, but I had been carefully not paying attention to just how distasteful the situation was, until I got home and could no longer continue in denial:



Basically, the situation at the outset looked like this: [note: clicking photos will take you to slightly larger/better version; clicking *that* one gives you an even larger version, and why LJ does things this way I have no idea]



...which does not look so bad until you get to the street side:





On the upside, it was a nice mild afternoon. On the downside, the nice mild temperatures meant that the snow was wet and dense and incredibly heavy.

After about a half-hour of brushing, scraping, and shovelling, the car had at least been excavated:




Unfortunately, everything in front of the car still had to be shovelled out of the way so that I had a prayer of blasting out. (The Honda is actually not a bad little car in winter, but it's pretty low to the ground. This is one of the few times I wish I had a Jeep or something like that.)




Another half hour or so with the shovel, during which I was forcibly reminded that wet, heavy snow like this is colloquially called "heart-attack snow," and I was ready to blast my way out. Or I thought I was. I made it this far, anyway:



...before getting stuck for the first time.

I don't have photos of getting stuck for the second time, because by then I was about ready to fall over. But I will conclude with this shot of the vacated space where once the car was immured:



...and I just wish it could better convey the sheer metric TONNAGE of snow heaped to all sides.

Off now to soak in a nice hot tub. I am too goddamned OLD for this, dammit.

Comments

[umbo.livejournal.com]

*nice, warm, soothing hugs*

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I feel a little abashed about whining, since your life is way way more stressful than mine, on a *daily* basis. But I will take the soothing hugs anyway! *g*

[umbo.livejournal.com]

In some ways, maybe, but then again it was 86 degrees here today, and the low's only going to be in the 40s :-)

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

omg, honey. that is just - a whole, giant WORLD of SUCK. I just - wow. Good exercise, at least? uhm. yes.

(I had to shovel the sidewalk in front of my house this morning, and the whole time I was thinking of Ray Kowalski in "Ice," and then I just sort of very merrily did the perfectly symmetrical scraping and squaring off, grinning the whole time. I am a DORK.)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

(*gives you the embrace of Dork Solidarity*)

And, yeah, at least I don't feel guilty now about not having gotten to the gym. My ARMS... ow ow owie.

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Oh, much with the sympathy! We have a long, wide driveway, and yeah, it's a helluva lot of snow to shovel.

But hurrah for your liberated Honda! Banzai!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I tell you, I'm just thanking whatever powers that I no longer live on a double lot on a corner (as I used to back in the '80s when we had all those big whomping blizzards winter after winter).

And it was such a *rush*, that moment when I finally slid and spun and fishtailed and blasted OUT. Driving! Wheee!

[dine.livejournal.com]

*runs you a nice hot bath, hands over a toddy*

those are plenty of evidence that it's time to head West, young woman! we rarely get snow at all, much less accumulations like that, so your shoveling muscles would happily atrophy (even as you grew mould from the rain)

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I will gratefully accept the toddy, even though it is now the next morning, because *sore muscles*, ow, and also this day would go much better with some lubrication, so to speak.

Also, I think you have an *excellent* concept there with the moving west, and believe me, that remains the longer-term plan.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

::hops in time machine with hot chocolate and many buff men with shovels::

*hugs*, Kat.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

You? have the BEST IDEAS EVER. (*applauding*)

[heresluck]

Yeah.

I kept up with shoveling the walks this weekend, but I haven't dealt with the driveway yet. And granted the driveway is short, and the car is safely inside the garage and thus does not have to be dug out, but still: driveway. And it will have to get done in the next few days, because sadly I cannot simply teleport to Your Fair City this Friday. Heh.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

See: renenet's excellent idea above (*pointing up*). I mean, you've got football players wandering around out there, right? Capable of locating and wielding shovels? Or maybe even just one middle-aged guy with a snowblower? Desperate times --> desperate measures. (Also, dude, I'm not remembering that driveway as "short." Especially not when covered with a foot of heavy wet snow.)

[arallara.livejournal.com]

Oh, good god, Kat! I'm so sorry!

Also, damn, I missed you at Escapade SO MUCH. Get the hell out of Minnesota, come to Northwest where I can have you around whenever I want, and, for god's sake, never miss Escapade again!!! *g*

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I am so damn sorry I missed the con, and getting to see you, and your panel, which sounds like a blast. It was just one of those deals where a non-moveable work thing got squarely in the way...

And I am actually getting the dates settled for my trip out there -- I'll e-mail you as soon as they're solid. Yay!!!

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

*pets your car*

Here in Colorado, the snow has all melted long since. I feel disloyal saying that I really don't mind, because we really need it for the skiers and the spring irrigators and kayakers and whatnot. But I do not envy you your shoveling ordeal, no, not at all!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

After I posted that, I thought, "Y'know, anyone in Colorado, or upstate New York for that matter, could just look at those photos and *laugh.*" But yeah, pain is pain. *g*

And we really need the snow as well here; we've been in drought for the past half-year or more. I just wish it didn't come ALL AT ONCE.

[darthrami.livejournal.com]

Uuuuuuuuugh. Oh man.

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this having-to-shovel-snow-myself thing. >.>

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

Ai. Congratulations on your extreme butchness, and condolences on your extreme soreness!

[giglet.livejournal.com]

Wow.

I hope you got a long hot bath and a glass of wine at the end of that!