Here is Stinky in the snow next to the weird pod vine thing that has sort of become our mascot.So, it snowed here. I'm sure a lot of you got it too. As I've already told you, I walk to work and back, but I still had to drive on the unplowed roads to get Stinky from basketball practice and one of her friends needed a ride too. Her friend's mom lives about three blocks from us, but her dad lives on the other side of the highway, and of course she was at her dad's house tonight. Here's what I don't get about some people's parents: If the driving conditions are bad, and your kid gets out of practice at 5:30, shouldn't you be going to pick her up instead of driving to Coralville for whatever reason? What would they have done if I hadn't agreed to take her? Let her sit in the junior high parking lot for a half hour in the snow and cold? After almost getting slid into by a car going too fast on the highway, I vowed that next time, I'd just drop the girl off at her mom's house, and make it her dad's responsibility to get her. I love the kid, she's sweet and polite and funny, but I get annoyed with her parents, as it's not the first time this has happened.
Worry not. My evening improved one hundred percent from my stressful drive around town. I made pasta and garlic bread for dinner and then I got to shovel the sidewalk. No one ever believes me, but I love to shovel snow. I know, I'm a freak. I also like to mow the lawn and wash my car if I can do it in my driveway with a bucket and some ripped up towels (even though I've been told this is against city rules and regulations). The reason for all this freakery, is because I love being outside, it makes me happy to do hard physical labor and it instantly looks better... And you know how fond I am of instant gratification.
Stinky did many chores in order to pay for the festive, silvery slippers I bought her last Friday. She vacuumed, cleaned her room, took out the trash and swept and mopped the floor, all while I lounged around my bedroom watching Flags of Our Fathers. Did I feel a little like the wicked step-mother? No, not really. My girls never seem to feel bad when I'm cleaning and they're on the computer or watching a movie either, so I guess we're even.
18 comments:
I do not mind shoveling snow or washing the car. I have never mowed a lawn in my life. (allergies)
I like being outside as well, this time of year is actually not so bad weather-wise. I still wear shorts and hoodies if I know I will be inside most of the time. Every place around is too hot all the time.
Churlita,
Wow, I can't believe it....a fellow snow shoveler! I love to shovel snow. Just this past Monday I was out shoveling the drive (30x30 ft.) of 5" of snow at 0400 instead of blogging. Can you belive it?
I too love being out doors; I've been know to go for a walk in the rain just because it's raining.
My favorite thing, dream really, cause it's only happened to me 4 or 5 times, is to go for a romantic walk with a lover on Christmas eve with 2 feet of pristine snow on the ground and snow flakes the size of silver dollars falling in profusion on our heads.
I also like vacuuming and mopping the floor.
rel
That vine is milkweed. My field is full of it. I've never seen it grow as a vine, though. Usually they grow up individually. Like evil flowers.
I did not expect to find what looked like a picture of Stinky necking with "Swamp Thing".
I know IC is a stupid-ass liberal town with a city council that couldn't find their ass with both hands and is only concerned with drinking and smoking, but they really didn't make it illegal to wash your car in your driveway, did they?
you're welcome to come up and shovel here any time you want. You could even give the two teenagers lessons if you felt like it!
I'll echo Not Fainthearted. I've got about five inches of packed ice covering sections of my driveway still. I was out, like Remiman, at 0400 stabbing a square spade into the glacier. Satisfying? Sure. A good idea doing it before going to work? No. I just want to go to bed now.
Come to think of it, I don't mind shoveling snow either. I haven't had to do it in awhile, though, because maintenance takes care of it. I don't like scraping off my car windows, though. But it's gotta be done so that I can scowl at the people who ride my bumper on icy roads.
Holy weather batman...I'll be blogging about my adventures soon.
You are welcome to come shovel our enormous driveway. Colin got our front sidewalks done so we don't get sued, so we got that going for us.
I want mine shoveled next.
When you live in a fifth floor flat your options for shovelling snow are limited. Well let's put it this way, if I'm shovelling snow, the folks living in flats 1 to 5 are in big trouble.
It's soooo fun, isn't it? The shoveling and the mowing - and I'm sure for the very same reasons.
I'll admit, I got tired of mowing the several acres on the farm. I was such a newbie, I didn't realize that it grew so fast (much like the new-to-shoveling forget that it will fall again. And sometimes, again and again.) We gave up the next summer and dedicated most of the yard to a Prairie Reclamation Project. (It sounds less of an excuse when you put it in caps, doesn't it?)
I have never shoveled snow for obvious reasons, but I do like mowing the lawn and washing the car. I agree that those sorts of jobs are satisfying in a way that doing laundry (an endless task) can never hope to match.
Your post titles consistently blow me away.
In the mid 80's I played guitar and sang duets with a girl who thought she was Stevie Nicks.
She wasn't.
Looking back, Landslide was one of our less cringe-inducing numbers.
You are a freak for liking snow and shovelling it.. lol.. All I say is my back hurts and it gets done by Computer Boy or Big Hairy Man..
Evil-E,
I feel so lucky not to have allergies.
Rel,
I love to vacuum too. Again, it looks instantly better.
Dick Small,
Milkweed? I didn't know it grew like a vine either.
DMarks,
She is so not necking with swamp thing. At least I don't think so.
Leo,
The only reason I know that is because my neighbor is a city planner. I've never seen it enforced.
Not.
I think we both know, that it's easier just to do it ourselves than try to teach a teenager a lesson.
Trevor,
It is really draining to shovel snow. I like to do it and then go in the house and lie around.
Tara,
I love the image of you scowling through your recently scraped windows.
Dj,
Our driveway is big enough. Your adventures seemed way more stressful than mine.
Mr Atrocity,
Yeah. I can see that.
Booda Baby,
Oh, and with a prairie, you get to do prairie burns. I used to date a guy who owned a landscaping company and I got to help him do prairie burns. I loved them more than mowing.
LauraB.,
Laundry is so unsatisfying. I agree.
David in DC,
I'm a little worried about someone who wants to be Stevie Nicks.
Mrs.
At least you have your own crew.
I love to shovel snow too...I even shovel my neighbor's walk. I also love that your kid cleaned to pay for shoes you bought her. That's a good idea! "Note to self..."
Stepping,
We don't have a lot of money, so my girls have definitely learned how to work for what they want.
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