Just A Day Stretcher, Please

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Heading towards 9 PM here and the snow is still raining from the sky as if it was February, not the first day of winter. My body is a little weary from a couple weeks of this snow thing and the past week has been a little more taxing than usual. It's not that it's the holiday season, it's the snow that is getting to me.

Yesterday I cleaned off Gail's mother's roof. Miriam recently moved to a nursing facility but the home remains and has to be cared for. I wanted to get the last storm shoveled off but it quickly came to me that the "rememory" part of my brain wasn't turned on. I had already forgotten that under the top layer of a foot of fluffy light stuff was 8 inches of sleet with a slippery crust of left over freezing rain...left over from last week. That roof work sliced almost three hours out of my day and gave some leg cramps I didn't need.

Before I climbed up the ladder, I erased the foot of snow from the road and driveways that fell Friday night. Being a snow plow operator seemed great when I was in high school but now I just can't get excited about bumping around in a truck cab, wipers flip-flopping and defroster moving humid air in circles. Even though Karl the Wonder Dog enjoys riding shotgun with me, it's still not a job that ranks high on my list. Somewhere in yesterday's mix was a lot of shovel work plus cleaning the backside of our house roof too.

I finished yesterday's snow removal just in time for the evening news and weather. There's nothing like sitting slumped into a chair like bread dough that won't rise, listening to a weatherman who is smiling when he says "...and 12-18 inches, maybe a little more in the mountains." That was today, no, no, the part about the little more in the mountains. We are in the mountains and the snow depth of 3 inches above my knees is about where we were two hours ago when I came in from cleaning off our satellite dish to make this connection. And to top that off, the snow that was falling again today in Seattle, home of my two fine grandsons, should be here in Vermont sometime pre-Christmas like Wednesday afternoon.

So there's my snow story and that's why it appears I have packed up and left the world of blogging.......... even though I reported a couple weeks back that I would give a few holiday shopping hints for tardy shoppers. Days are only just so long and the snow has been an interruption for certain.

So now I want to make the promise again that by tomorrow night there will be some ideas out there for gifts that shouldn't be too difficult to pick up in the next couple days. Don't trust me on this but check back late tomorrow night or first thing Tuesday. Could be the ideas will be helpful.

In the meantime, consider finding a Cape Cod Weeder. It's such a handy gift that even if your gardening buddy already has one, two is not too many.

This brand was Snow and Neally, a company that may or may not be around any more but the concept is the same. Gail liked this brand enough to buy them in multiples to hand out as gifts. This one is tagged at $19.95 which was probably the going price four years ago. If you find a look alike, grab the steel weeder hook in one hand and the wooden handle in the other and see if they come apart. The Snow and Neally brand were built strong but many imported look-alikes are poorly bonded. If you can't find anything better, some Gorilla glue in the joint will solve the problem even though no one likes to "fix" something brand new. In this modern day real world, there is however, an acceptance that there's never time to do things right, but always time to do them over. I'm not keen on that philosophy but that's why Mr. Gorilla apparently made a very good glue. Think it through and if you read this blog and don't know a gardener who needs a weeder but do know a woodworker, then buy some Gorilla Glue and make someone happy.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where Snowflake Bentley would be pleased with tonight as he'd have plenty of snowflakes to investigate. As for me, two of Gail's ginger cookies and a glass of milk should be just fine. I'd really like to find a day stretcher but I don't know that one exists yet.

Good Sunday wishes. Travel with care!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Gardens
Vermont Flower Farm

If you are a gift certificate type gift giver, consider calling Gail and ordering one up. Unlike some businesses, we know we'll still be here when all this snow melts next spring. 802-426-3505