Lesson Learned

Finally, snow! I mean, we weren't complaining that it had taken so long this season to get here. Not we who were beginning to plan how to avoid snow altogether for the rest of our lives by turning into snowbirds, oh, no.

It had come down Saturday evening, forecast for early in the day but dragging its winter storm feet as if as reluctant to arrive as we were to have it. As we were preparing yesterday morning to leave for the annual New Years Day Auction, we could acknowledge it even was pretty, clinging as it did to tree branches everywhere despite the stiffening wind, covering all the brown dead grasses and dirty everythings. Little clumps of snow on tops of brilliant red highbush cranberries were especially lovely. For kids, it was perfect snowman snow.

Of course, it also brought work. As the first to venture from the house, I had the job of grabbing the shovel and creating a path out to my car, last in line of the vehicles sitting on the driveway, and there to clear snow and ice from all the windows and car lights. I know, I know, I'm supposed to clear off hood and roof too, but that would have really been work, and with only so much time left before Steve and I were due to arrive to work, I needed to add in extra time for slow roads, which may or may not have also gotten ice removed well.

Finally finished with my chosen amount of snow removal, I found I had one extra unscheduled task ahead of me. It wasn't just brushing the snow off from everywhere I'd leaned against the car, plus pant leg bottoms. That's expected. No, I discovered that I thoughtlessly forgot to fold the pocket flaps out over the two wide pockets in the coat I was wearing! There they were, gapping wide, each now holding enough snow for a respectable snowball!

Oops.