Saturday, January 29, 2011

Shoveling Snow Is Bad For Your Wrists - And Other Body Parts

We got about 8-9" of new snow overnight last night. Our temps have stayed fairly low so this snow was light and fluffy. Not so bad when it comes to shoveling the stuff.

Hubby and I both spent the morning clearing various paths and entries to out buildings. He had to do the roof again, of course. We keep the front deck shoveled off so Zoey and the granddogs have a dry place to stretch out on during the day and soak up some sunshine. It's getting hard to find places to throw the snow off the deck as the piles are now up even with the railing.

I don't know how much depth perception you can get of the snow in this picture of some our fruit trees, but the snow is now up about three feet on their trunks. We're not complaining though as it's good insulation for them and will keep the frost from going so deep.

We've done so much shoveling lately that hubby complains a little of a sore shoulder. The only place I'm feeling it is in both wrists. Must be something in the way I toss the shovelfuls of snow. But I'll keep at it and by the end of the winter I'll have very muscular wrists. (Is that good?)

Our daughter kindly left her plow truck here when she went on into town for work today so hubby spent a couple of hours plowing the driveway and all the other areas we have to keep free of snow. We're very grateful to both her and our good neighbor who says we can use his plow any time we want it.

This past week I've gotten the freezer restocked with three or four kinds of soups to have on hand for easy meals. I get three to five quarts of soup from each batch so that's many meals for us. I even got two containers of Chicken Noodle Soup made up. So when I hear of someone down with a really bad cold, it's nice to have some to take to them to help speed their recovery. Yes, I do think it really helps. Especially when made with homemade chicken broth. And maybe a little extra garlic thrown in to kill the bad germies.

We're going to be in our jammies and watching a movie tonight at 7 o'clock. At least that's the plan. What's the movie? Well, now don't be too shocked. It's a little racy. McLintock with John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Yvonne De Carlo. Made in 1963. Woo-hoo!

12 comments:

meemsnyc said...

We had 19 inches of snow, and my back, shoulders are so sore from shoveling. I can't wait until spring!

Sue said...

Well, now, weren't you complaining a few weeks back of no snow?? Hmmm??
:)
Glad you finally got that deep layer. We had such a nice long snowmobile ride yesterday that I actually didn't dream of spring and gardening (for about 2 hours!!) Miracle!!!

Erin said...

I bet the snow is just beautiful right now. I admit I'm pretty jealous of it! Sure, it's nice to have a head start on the growing season, but to be honest I really wish I had an excuse to have more time to catch up on other things I like to do - it seems that no sooner have I pulled out the fall plants that it's time to do it again, and then I can't truly enjoy knitting, sewing or reading without the nagging feeling that I should be tending the garden. It's always greener on the other side though, isn't it? Or "whiter"! I'm pretty sore this morning from our flurry of activity in the yard for a few hours yesterday, I knew I would be!

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

You are a rare breed who is happy to be getting even more snow. Your more than a half glass full kinda girl, you think the glass is made of gold too.

Mama Pea said...

meemsnyc - Welcome and thanks for commenting! I think you've had as much snow as we have this year. I know there are those like you who are getting really antsy for spring but I LOVE winter time and feel I'm just barely getting into the "hibernating" time of year. I don't even want to think about spring yet!

Sue - So you got a bunch more snow so you could get out on the snowmobiles? Good for you. I didn't mean to complain about our snow. Aside from the time it takes to clear it away (!), I'll take it for a couple/few more months! :o)

Erin - I think I always feel healthier when I'm out in the garden working for most of the day. In my fantasy world, we would have one week of summer, one week of winter, then repeat over and over. Know what I mean? That way we wouldn't ever get tired or burned out on either time of year. But that ain't gonna happen, is it?

Mama Pea said...

Jane - Hahaha! If that were so, these days considering the price of gold, I'd sell all my glassware!!

The Apple Pie Gal said...

I can't imagine that much snow! Really! They are calling for our worst storm in years here during the week. I am actually excited about that. Which means we'll get ya know...two inches :)

Soup does cure the cold. I swear it really does. And you use extra garlic, I always say lots of black pepper. So now I will try both!

Hope your wrists and PapaPeas shoulder is feeling better!

Mama Pea said...

APG - Oh, now I'm excited about your approaching storm. (Knowing Illinois weather, you'll get it as ice rather than snow!) Do keep us informed . . . so exciting! Really, I love snow storms.

Mama and Papa Pea got a good night's rest last night and are ready for anything this morning . . . shoulder or wrist work! ;o)

Anonymous said...

Hi MamaPea! The snow is beautiful, I wouldn't feel right without it during the winter! I know what you mean about it getting hard to find places to put the snow! I clear off a large path for my two little dogs so they don't sink, and I'm building quite a few snow banks around the yard! Enjoy your Sunday!
:)
Rain

Mama Pea said...

Rain - Welcome and thanks for commenting. I so agree with you . . . I couldn't live anywhere that didn't have the four distinct seasons! Yay, for the seasons.

Dirt Lover said...

Oh, I'm sooooo glad we don't have to shovel snow. That just sounds like way too much work. Hey, at the end of shoveling season, you should measure around your wrists, and then wait until the beginning of the snow shoveling season this fall/winter, measure again. See if there's any difference. You know, just a sort of science experiment!!!
~~Lori

Mama Pea said...

Lori - But snow shoveling is such good exercise! Burns calories and gets us out in the fresh, clean air. I'll have to think about your suggested science experiment. ;o)