What I’ve learned about shoveling

by. Ron Daly

If you’ve ignored every media outlet for the past week, you might not know that we’ve had a lot of snow in the DC Metro area. With a foot or more of snow comes the fun of sledding and snowmen…and the un-fun of shoveling.

The main roads get plowed and the sub-streets get plowed. My driveway, on the other hand, is entirely up to me. A cubic foot of snow weighs (roughly) ten pounds. Given the dimensions of my driveway, I was throwing around about 250 pounds over the course of a few hours. My aching back can vouch for me.

Here’s what I’ve learned about shoveling: it’s a pain in the butt. It makes you sore and tired and you can’t really make a dent unless you have a few hours to spare. If you don’t want to shovel, you have a few options:

1) A bigger, better shovel – My older snow shovel is nothing compared to my neighbor’s. His has a weird curve that makes it easier on your back and shoulders. He paid a little more but he’s done in half the time.

2) A snowblower – I could theoretically get a snow blower and cut my workload by 90%. The problem there is that I don’t get enough snow to justify the cost and I don’t really have the room.

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