This past weekend was... snowy.

All our team members were out in one capacity or another from Friday until early Monday morning. The temperatures ranged from 4 to -18 C with wind gusts and overcast skies. Whether we were in trucks clearing driveways and lots, hand bombing salt, or shoveling, we worked hard to keep everything clear. Sunday in particular, it was fierce.

It was darn cold when I was out shoveling and salting in Port Dover Saturday, and, after a day out working muscles that have not been stretched in those directions for awhile, the following day felt even colder and longer... whether in actuality or just in my mind. I put to use some -ancient- hand warmer.. pads? Packets? Those little "open and expose to air" things. They were not necessarily fast enough to warm up off these hop, but they did kick in and by golly was I grateful. I had been losing feeling in my fingertips within my winter gloves, even though they are well insulated and made for Winter weather, and the little.. heaters (one either side of my palms) heated the blood circulation enough to bring them back to life. We tackled a big residential suburb that we care for, with 100+ individual houses. We hand shovelers are responsible for the walkways, steps and directly in front of the garage door (to remove risk of blades from the machine plows hitting the doors). We had a crew of five, including our beast of a muscle machine boss Celia, to attack these properties. We started around 7am and finished up around 3pm; for a change it was daylight the entire time we were there (usually we are there well before the sun rises, however this past weekend the weather insisted on maintaining a steady snow fall our start was delayed until it started) and that helps it not feel like such a chore.

Other team members had started at 4am and worked until about 9am, then coming back out later in the evening to re-do what had once been done. Sleep is a valued commodity during these heavy snow falls. That and food. We get hungry, so quick visits to Tim Hortons for a bathroom break and a quick snack happens. 

It is three days later now, and today is the first day my muscles are not whole heartedly asking me to curl up into a tight ball and snuggle away the day. Today I have the wonderful update from Jody that it is snowing again... lather, rinse, repeat.