As anyone in the northeastern United States knows full well, the first serious snowstorm of the season rolled through yesterday afternoon and overnight. In fact, it was the first real winter storm in two years. I’m patting myself on the back today for my foresight. For one thing, I got the snowblower out and tested it two weeks ago. But also, I heaved myself out of my easy chair at 7:30 last night, went out in the cold and dark and removed all the snow that had come down so far. It continued to snow overnight, so I had to do it all again this morning. But the snow overnight had mixed with sleet, making it wetter and heavier. If I had waited and handled it all at once, as I was tempted to do, it would have been a much harder job. (I’m honor-bound, by the way, to acknowledge that my wife Jennifer shoveled while I ran the snowblower.)
So I’m feeling that self-satisfied weariness that comes from having done my homeownerly duty, and I’m savoring the hot chocolate that I always reward myself with after doing that particular job.