Sisyphean Labor

Sloggers

As my neighbor, seeing me shoveling the snow off our driveway one time, said to me, rolling down his car window in passing, "you know, it's going to continue to snow...", clearing snow off one's driveway does appear Sisyphean, a futile effort with no ending in sight.  But my experience has taught me that the timely removal of snow does make a difference, however futile it may appear.  There are at least two practical benefits in so doing - it makes the task easier next time you shovel and it enables you to back the car out of the garage in case you need to go somewhere.  

Snow soon returns

Little snowplow for hire

When I last shoveled the 100'x18' driveway by myself it took me almost 3 hours, today it took me half the time to get the job done, owing to the fact that we just got the snow cleared off the driveway a couple of days ago.  When the snow is less than six inches deep and has not been allowed to settle, it is fluffy and manageable, like scrapping icing off a cake, with the icing made from fluffy shaved ice instead of heavy cream.  I have even developed certain techniques to make the task more enjoyable and injury-free.  As each clearing takes at least two passes, I would take the shovel on my right side at the first pass and switch it over to my left at the second.  This way it ensures that I don't over-strain one side of my body.  Dressing warmly is important too, especially to protect the body extremities - head, hands, and feet.  I wear two layers of gloves to keep my fingers warm and for my feet I have on my incomparable waterproof "Sloggers" which Jeanne B. gave me when we left Gainesville.  What foresight!  And lastly, to make the task more enjoyable I listen to opera arias or symphonic music in my ear buds; it's a little bit eerie listening to the music this way for you are muffled up head to toe from hearing anything coming from outside.  Of course, one can always pay somebody else to do the job for you, like most, if not all, of my neighbors.  Alas, my driveway did not stay snow-free for very long; it has not stopped snowing, like my neighbor said.  I wonder when I should go out and start the task over again.  How many times does one have to do this in a day?