The fitness in a man's clearing his own drive

"There is some of the same fitness in a man's clearing his own drive that there is in a bird's building its own nest." Henry David Thoreau Walden Chapter 1.

We get some pretty good snow storms in Iowa and if you are a working person with a family it becomes difficult at times to clear the drive in a timely fashion. That is it is not always in one's power to get it cleared before it gets driven on and forms hard packed ice which can easily morph into a glacier that lasts all season, and which unlike some of its more adventurous arctic circle cousins feels no need to slide south and instead is content to laze about getting fat on winter's spoils. Additionally, as we have a fairly long drive, it is not always easy to find the two hours or so it takes to shovel the drive in one's busy day, snow coming not on anyones schedule as it is wont to do. And buying a snow blower in the past seemed like an expensive proposition for the little use it seemed it would get.

A few years back I decided as much for my wife's sake as my own to have our drive plowed by a local service station. Keep the wife happy, the kids safe and support a local business, it's all good! It worked great for the first year when there wasn't much snow, but the second year was a disaster. With a heavy snow the plows wouldn't come right away, so we had to either drive on the snow or park in the street. On a few occasions they didn't come for up to a day after the snow, so I'd go out and shovel it myself, then sure enough about an hour later here comes the plow, moving nothing and charging me forty five bucks. Or, the opposite would happen, we've have a dusting of snow and the plow would come twice, $90. The station wasn't very sympathetic to put it mildy. Our only choice was to cancel. Then came 2009 where we had mountains of snow in November which kept up until spring.

However, one snowy Sunday brought salvation in the form of an ad for a sale on snowblowers at Northern  Tool and Equipment. It couldn't have come at a better time. Our shovel was too small and the stores were sold out of larger sizes. So for about $450 with a three year warranty and two tune ups, I came home the proud owner of "La Machina" (left), or as it is more popularly known MTD Model 32ad 179cc OHV 4-cycle / 22". It throws snow about fifteen feet and has handled anything we've had so far with ease. I opted for the pull start model and thereby saved myself about $100 as I just figured that was more stuff to break. It has cut the drive clearing time down to about an hour from start to finish, including the front walk. I actually look forward to it snowing so that I can get out and take "La Machina" for another spin, wear my obligatory Santa cap, and wave to passersby. Clearing snow ranks right up there now with grilling and washing the car for me, and my wife really appreciates not having to negotiate two wheel ruts reminiscent of something out of the westward migration of 1848.

 OK. Maybe clearing one's drive is not analagous to Thoreau's voyage of spiritual discovery on Walden Pond, but in today's world, it's close. (note Bluetooth in right ear so I don't miss any real estate calls)

Men say they know many things;

But lo! they have taken wings, -

The arts and sciences,

And a thousand appliances;

The wind that blows

Is all that anybody knows.

Henry David Thoreau Walden 1854