After 30 years I bought a snowblower!

I have finally broken down and acquired a snowblower.
Two weeks ago, after the town had plowed in my driveway for the second time, without even getting my vehicle out of the driveway, I decided that the 30 years of debate on acquiring a mechanical snow shoveler were over.
Now, I can readily admit that no one buys a snowblower at the end of January. In fact, part of the dilemma is that once you reach the end of January, you suddenly realize that winter is over. You will only face six more weeks of snow and every day will warm, and the snow banks will slowly recede.
But the Town of Fort Frances Public Works crew spurred me to action. The banks on the street were too high to lift the snow to the top with a shovel. I had used my scoop to break down the plowed in snow and had pushed the snow into the middle of my side yard. However, those piles were coming up to waist height and pushing snow uphill is as bad for you as lifting shovels of snow over your head.
A mechanical device was called for.
My wife teased me that in buying that snow blower the only action that it would get for the rest of the year would be catching dust that settled on it in the garage. I fully understood her teasing and really expected that we would not have any more snow this year. The new snow blower would ward off any snowy weather until next November.
But we were both wrong. It has been put to the test twice in the month of February. The grader has filled my driveway with hard packed snow and the blower has inched its way through the 75 cm drifts that have been left by the grader.
Living on Second street, we are fortunate that in any snow storm, our street will be plowed at least twice. And the town crews work hard at trying to move the banks as far back against the curb as is possible. The first plowing moves the snow off the travelled part of the road way in each direction. The second plowing moves the snow back for cars to park on the street. Both clearings fill in your driveway.
In an average year, Fort Frances residents can expect to receive about 180 cm (71 inches) of snow. But over a normal five-month season, with compaction and melting days, the snow does not appear to be that great. We can normally expect some snow 58.9 days a year. Our biggest one time snowfall occurred in the first week of March in 1966 with well over 60 cm of snow being dropped on the community. Historically, residents of the community receive the largest amount of snow in January.
During the 2008-09 snow year, Fort Frances had a record seasonal snowfall of 319 cm of snow (125.6 inches). The 1992-93 snow season saw two monthly records were established for snow-fall. January of that year received 82 cm (32.3 inches) and December 1992 the community was blanketed with 111.5 cm (43.9 inches). Our biggest February snowfall total was in 1992 when the region received 82 cm (32.3 inches) of snow.
We could be on stream for a new record year.
–Jim Cumming,
Publisher