Yes, we thought a shovel would help.

How naive we were. There hasn't been a lot of snow this week, none to speak of really and yet I've spent the morning clearing the driveway, the laneway and the neighbour's driveway of the little that fell or drifted in off the fields.


This is a plough coming down our street, the pile of snow on the right is one I've built keeping access to our mailbox clear. Having a pile like that adds excitement to pulling out on to the street.


Seen from closer the plough is a fearsome machine. There are fleets of them out all over the county all winter which, I suppose, accounts for our property taxes.

Those piles of snow mark the other side of the walkway I've dug to the barn, it runs along the line of trees then turns at ninety degrees and goes down the hill

more mounds of snow along the path.

I suppose it would be possible to shovel the snow, Mennonites manage somehow, but I can't imagine having a job and finding the time to do it by hand.