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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Just Another of My Many Outstanding Civic Offerings

There's a lot to be said for keeping the Earth's surface cool, but I, for one, am tired -- as I'm sure my brothers and sisters in the Northeastern part of These United States are, after receiving foot upon foot of Earth coolant these last few weeks -- of having said coolness underfoot for months and months at a time.

I refer, of course, to the snow.

And so I am doing something about it.

I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon out-of-doors, clad in nothing but a full set of clothing, leggings, boots, hat and gloves, chopping ice.

From a February-in-Minnesota perspective, I was practically naked.

Yessiree, Bob, we've come to the time of year when you can't quite see Spring but you just might be able to smell it.

You smell that? No, not that. That's abandoned, quasi-frozen dog poop. That other smell -- do you smell it? Smells like sunshine, like slowly awakening trees, like the hint of a thought of a possibility of grilling meat outdoors again.

I do miss steaks on the grill.

Armed only with optimism, my wits, and a rather heavy iron ice splitter called a "Little Mutt", I have taken matters into my own hands.

The street in front of the house, the sidewalks, and the alley have been chopped within inches of their ice-bound lives. Rough, dry patches are everywhere, making such dangerous activities as walking, standing still, or getting into a car without falling, possible again.

Spring should be here any moment now.


No, no. YOU'RE welcome.

20 comments:

Menopausal New Mom said...

Pearl, I think we can all relate to being fed up with snow and Winter. Great job you did there, just might have to put on a snowsuit myself and go out and tackle our driveway and sidewalk.

I'm inspired but I still can't catch a whiff of Spring, maybe this will help!

Marla said...

You are a true Patriot, Pearl. I salute you!

Sultan said...

I fear that it will never be warm again.

Anonymous said...

Spring will be most welcome.
Where we used to live, there was a daffodil that always showed up, even through the snow sometimes to let us know that spring was arriving.
I miss that where we live now.

Anything Fits A Naked Man said...

I like a girl that takes matters into her own hands! Cheers to YOU! But, seriously, do you PROMISE Spring is right around the corner? I'm so, so weary...

The mad woman behind the blog said...

I loved how you expressed this sentiment! Do you have a similar ritual to bring on summer? Does it include dancing?

Douglas said...

I was reminded of a date with a woman in Columbus, OH in the dead of winter one year where we grilled steaks on her back porch... in the snow. And then sat by the fire in the living room after dinner. (we really should have had a fireplace, though)

But I had another thought while reading today's blog... What if everyone in those northern climes recycled the snow and ice? Just bag it up and send it off to the Arctic to replace those melting glaciers?

Betcha that would take care of that Global Warming thingie...

Simply Suthern said...

While it is still chilly here(Southern Standards) and we have possible flurries coming our way, The lovely Daffodils have already began blooming and giving us hope for Spring.

Ugich Konitari said...

It has occurred to me that we get so excited about Global warming, that this might be a "subtle" message from nature, that we shouldnt really talk, predict and interfere. Our mild sweaty winters here, have extended into February this year. No wonder you guys are snowed in 12,000 miles away. Pearl, you and I need to be co-opted on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chnage (IPCC).

Molly Potter said...

The UK winter has had more than enough weather for us Brits to make small talk about. It really has been unusually cold and snowy. I can just hear the change in tone should we actually get to feel some warmth. Can't wait.

Is snow better than lots of rain? Sheeesh - stop me before I become smalltalk bound.

savannah said...

well, sugar, i found a dead mole in my front yard today, so that either means, it's too damn cold for even a mole or uh, actually, i have no idea what that would mean...xoxoxox

Jeanie said...

The overnight snow predicted here didn't happen...I'm so happy about that. The north side of everything is, however, still snow and ice covered. I may need to find myself a "Little Mutt.

Kevin Musgrove said...

Just this afternoon I poured a bottle of bleach onto the cryogenically-preserved pile of dog turds left by my front gate the week before Christmas. If it's still there in June I'm buying some silver bullets.

mapstew said...

I bought a BBQ 4 years ago. My children have yet to see BBq'd food! Some day the sun will shine in this godforsaken land, even for 30 mins, and we will have JUST enough time to grill a sausage!

Ah fuckit, let's go to the pub again! :¬)

xxx

Pat said...

We even had 14 inches of snow in December here in the California foothills and we usually rarely even get an inch of snow.

I'd never heard of chopping ice off the sidewalks before. We don't have sidewalks here in the mountains.

Jocelyn said...

I know the Feb-in-MN feeling well...and I daresay you need to be careful out there, chopping away...because, with just the smalleste urging, you might go all Fargo Woodchipper on someone.

Jocelyn said...

Oh, and I just spelled "smalleste" the, um, French Canadian way. To keep you on your toes.

Tempo said...

Snow eh! Whats that? Is it anything like the red dust clouds billowing as high as the clouds and blocking out the horizon that we have here in OZ? ..no! well then, I've got no idea. Never seen it, stood in it or ....what DO you do with snow anyway?

Unknown said...

Normall I prefer winter to summer, but even I say "enough is enough!"

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

Am I a freak for admitting that the thought of you in your superchick outfit out chopping the ice is making my pjs feel tighter. If you also wore a cape I don't want to know about it...MEOW!