The Almost Perfect Snow Shovel..........

…… is a manure fork. Janice at Hearts on Noses suggested it – much lighter weight than a regular snow shovel, and the prongs dig right in there. The snow slips off easily instead of clumping in the bowl of a shovel. I thought the snow, when powdery, would slip right through the prongs, but it doesn’t. And it works on the heavy wet stuff too.

Last year I bought an expensive ergonomic snow shovel. But, like most things, it was obviously made for someone taller than my 5’1” frame. And stronger. It sits neglected in the barn.

I considered buying a snow blower, but any gas powered yard equipment comes with gremlins who delight in taunting me – I can never get anything that uses gas (other than a car) started. And since my loooong driveway is gravel, a snow blower isn’t the best option unless I also want to be replacing windows and picking rocks out of the grass.

So this fall, I made arrangements with someone in the neighbourhood to plow out my drive whenever we get a dump of snow. The arrangement worked once. And since then, I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of him…..even his own driveway isn’t plowed so either he’s moved out or is on vacation somewhere warm.

So I’m back to shoveling. With my manure fork. My almost-perfect snow shovel. Why only almost-perfect? Because it doesn’t come with a muscular little elf who sneaks into the yard in the middle of the night and uses the fork to clear the driveway for me. Where are those magical sprites when you really need them?????