It was just a few weeks ago I was dealing with the novelty of a New Year, and now here we are with January almost half over. One novelty I can’t get over is the lame-ass winter we are having. I am old school and if there is one thing I like, and one thing I miss, it’s a bastardly nasty, unremittingly, remorseless three month assault by Old Man Winter! The kind of day after day relentless drubbing of cold, gray weather and backbreaking shoveling that builds the character. This winter has been decidedly short on snow and only seems to dip down into the teens a few days a week before unseasonal thaws.
Basically, I am disappointed with this winter’s lack of ferocity because of the amount of preparation I put in getting ready for it. Several years ago we had a winter that broke records for snowfall, and increases in the divorce and suicide rates. The winter of 2010-2011 went into the record book as one of the most brutal in memory in New England. One of the hallmarks of a brutal winter is that it starts before the winter season. The winter of 2010-was no exception it got underway with a blizzard in October and didn’t let up until April. Cold, no sunlight, and snowstorm after snowstorm made for a disheartening three month wintry smack-down. Few things are more discouraging than shoveling snow so you can have an empty place to shovel more snow.
To be ready for the next blizzard-fest, I bought a bigger snow-blower. But most importantly, I took the time to get physically conditioned to shovel snow. This is not easy to do in the non-winter months. Starting in June, I went to the beach and shoveled sand for a half-an hour, three times a week. I used my plastic snow shovel. At first, people thought I was crazy and some took cell phone pictures, but after a couple of weeks, other people starting joining me on a regular basis.
Shoveling sand on the beach, under the hot summer sun, turned out to be a great work-out. I lost weight and got in great shape. It’s just my shoulders are really huge now.
copyright 2013 Magnus Incognito