Life’s little surprises of unexpected work seem to show up at the oddest times, don’t they? Yesterday after the pitiful Packers game in which they lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL (who loses to the Lions?) we headed back home. Knowing that it would reach obnoxiously cold temperatures overnight with abundant snowfall, we knew Ted’s truck needed to be plugged in and have a timer set on it for the engine’s heater to turn on for at least three hours in the early morning so the engine block wouldn’t freeze. Add that to the list of things I never had to do in Texas. So there’s Ted and his beloved torpedo heater outside in the swirling snowflakes, laying on towels beneath the front of his truck searching for the plug. Fifteen minutes later he found it, we set up the timer and ran an extension cord (apparently the blue ones are for below zero temperatures) from the garage to the truck. Work done! Time to make some dinner and relax, right? Except, wait…is that water on the garage floor? Water soaking the bottom of the cardboard boxes and plywood on that side of the garage? Is the floor leaking? Why, yes. Yes it is. Excellent. So we spent another hour unpacking the contents of the cardboard boxes, drying them off and vacuuming up styrofoam, rearranging the garage, shoveling the snow off the porch, and salting it – and I thought we were going to go home to make peppermint bark. Ha! But it did feel nice to get something productive accomplished and to spend time together. And then we went inside and relaxed – Ted finished covering our windows with the insulation film (I am so relieved that it is clear, I can see through it, and you can’t even tell it’s there!) while I made Asian meatballs, jasmine rice, and carrots and snowpeas for dinner, and we cuddled up on the couch with the glow of the Christmas tree lights to watch the Sunday night football game.
I do have to admit that for as much as I whine (and I do) about all the work that comes from shoveling, salting, and digging a vehicle out of the snow while it is still snowing and the wind is blowing said snow down the front of your jacket and into your snow boots – it is some gorgeous stuff. Last night when we were salting the porch I looked up and it felt like we were in a snow globe. The snowflakes glistening in the porch light sparkled just like flecks of glitter showering down in a winter wonderland snow globe. It was truly beautiful. And the moon reflecting off all that snow made it so bright outside that it looked like dusk, not midnight. You could see everything all around you in a pretty purple-ish haze, even at 11 pm. Even this morning it was pretty – all white and totally peaceful. It was pretty up until 8 am when Ted went to spend an hour shoveling and sprinkling salt on our endlessly-long, snow-covered, sheet-of-ice driveway while I battled with a dinky snow brush to dig his much-taller-than-me truck out from under 5″ of snow while snow continued to fall and counteract all that work and the wind blew snow in my face. Then the snow wasn’t so pretty anymore, I decided.
Given the nature of this post I thought I’d take the time to enlighten you with my list of the Top 5 Best Winter Purchases:
1) Sorel Snow Boots – Best use of $100 ever – at the time I thought that was really expensive but they are worth every penny. They’re really cute for snow boots, have excellent traction in the ice and snow, are waterproof, rated for up to – 25 degrees, are cozy soft, have good arch support and keep my feet warm and dry even after hours outside in the snow and ice. I got these my first winter when I was in Michigan – Ted helped me find them – and I love them. If it’s snowing, you can bet I have them on. It’s amazing how these boots can keep the heat in and keep your whole body warm.
2) Torpedo heater – This thing is brilliant. Seriously, brilliant. And I am so thankful for its existence and that Ted actually owns something like this. This guy is not something you use indoors – you’d have to have windows and doors open. It takes kerosene and can heat up our garage and even our driveway outside in the snow to the point where you can comfortably work outside in 60 degree weather even though it is snowing. It can thaw frozen washer fluid in a vehicle and heat up a large space in no time at all. I can’t imagine working outside in the winter without it.
- Ted’s looks soemthing like this
3) Hand Warmers – These are little pouches that you shake to activate. They heat up and you can put them in your gloves, shoes, pockets, etc. to keep you warm. Since hands, even with gloves on, tend to get cold fast, these are perfect. Sometimes they get so hot that I even have to take them out. They’re small, cheap, travel easy and great to keep in your purse or car in case you get stuck somewhere during the winter. Also excellent for outdoor activities and freezing Packer games in January.
4) Cuddle Duds – At least that’s what I call them. Another thing I live in during the winter. They’re skinny and form fitting, but soft and warm. They’re almost like leggings and a thermal top or long underwear that you wear under your normal clothing for another layer of warmth but without the extra thick layering. It really helps keep you warm without bulking you up.
5) Golf Cart snow plow – So, we don’t actually own one of these, but given the length of our driveway, we definitely want one.
P.S. – The roof on the Vikings dome stadium collapsed due to excessive snowfall in Minnesota. That sucks for them (well, at least normal people think that sucks – Ted is overjoyed for their loss) and their home game last night had to be rescheduled for tonight to the closest dome stadium – the Lions stadium in Detroit. However, the cool thing is that since the home game is now an away game and they have to figure out a way to fill the stands last minute, the game is free to attend on a first come first serve basis. How awesome is that!? If we still lived in Lansing we’d be there! Think about all the people who have the chance to attend a free NFL game (and possibly see football legend Brett Favre play) who otherwise never could have afforded the $80 ticket price. Single moms with a kid who loves football and wants to play professionally one day, disadvantaged families, senior centers, the homeless, orphanages…there’s so many people who could get a little dose of holiday cheer from this. I just think that’s really neat.
