Charlene vs The Snowdrift

Snow shovelling is hard work, especially when you have a huge U-shaped driveway. I have often suggested we get a snow blower to help us out but Eric doesn't mind shovelling as it is great exercise. As a result, most of the time Eric does the shovelling while I watch the kids. When he comes in for a break I get him to watch the kids and go out for a bit to lend a hand. If there has been a huge dump of snow we usually only get the first half of the driveway done, just enough that we can get in an out.

Eric had to go out of town last week and won't be back for another few days. It is always really difficult when he goes out of town - not only do we miss him a lot, but I am just not used to single parenting. This time has been especially horrible due to the bad weather we have been having. Without him to help me shovel the driveway, or watch the kids while I shovel it, I have been fighting a losing the battle with the snowdrift that likes to form at the end of the driveway. It is super windy in Thornhill and we have 3 areas on our driveway that the wind likes to dump extra snow on, leaving huge snowdrifts to plow through.

Day 1: It is -21 degrees outside, and -30 with the windchill, but my daughter has an hearing appointment and I don't want to miss it. Cameron is going to Strong Start with my friend Chantelle. I bundle up the kids and off we go. As we approach the end of the driveway I notice a small snowdrift has started to form. It is small and made of light fluffy snow, so I plow right through it. No problem. I laugh at the snowdrift. Charlene: 1, Snowdrift: 0

Day 2: It is -28 degrees outside and -39 with the windchill, but my daughter has an appointment with her speech pathologist and I don't want to miss it. I warm up the car and then bundle up the kids and glance at the clock, we are doing great for time. My friend Chantelle is going to be watching Cameron at Strong Start again. As we near the end of the driveway I notice the snowdrift has grown in size. It still looks small though, I think I can get through it, though I will have to shovel later if the kids co-operate. I try to plow through it and immediately realize my error. The drift is a lot deeper than I realized and I get completely stuck.

I get out and realize the snow is so high on either side of the car that I am going to have to shovel some away to even get the kids out. I leave the car running (to keep the kids warm) and run in to phone Chantelle and tell her we are not going to make it. I run back out and free the kids from the car.

Once inside again I call to cancel Paige's appointment. Then as I have given up hope of escaping, Chantelle her husband arrive to rescue me. Between the three of us we manage to dig the car out and remove the rest of the snowdrift. We are free for the time being. They are still going to Strong Start so I bundle up the kids again and join them. As I drive off I think, "OK snowdrift, lets call that one a tie" I go grocery shopping after Strong Start just in case. Charlene: 2, Snowdrift: 1

Day 3 - It's -23 degrees, -32 with the windchill. Yesterday afternoon the wind was howling and whipping up snow like crazy. I know that the snowdrift will be back and it will be even bigger. When Paige wakes me at 4am, I decide I need to get out there and tackle it if I want to get out of the house today. I nurse Paige back to sleep (something I don't normally do, but I need her to stay asleep for a bit), tuck her in with Cameron, then bundle up and head outside.

The snowdrift is HUGE. It comes up above my knees and as I start to shovel snow sneaks into my boots. The wind is howling, the trees are shaking, and snow is being whipped into my face with every shovel full. I make progress. I manage to almost clear a path big enough for my car to fit through, when I think I hear a small "mew". What the heck? I pause and listen but all I can hear is the wind in the trees. I continue shovelling, this snowdrift  will not beat me. I hear it again "mew". I look at my watch, it has been almost an hour, I had better check on the kids. I poke my head in the front door and there is Paige sitting on the steps crying her little head off. I take off all my snow gear and try to get her back to sleep but she has decided it is morning and refuses to go back to sleep. Oh well, maybe I can get out later.

When Cameron wakes a few hours later, I get him to keep an eye on Paige while I go out to survey the situation. It is not good. The snowdrift has returned and it is even bigger than before. You can't even tell that I had been out there shovelling just a few hours before. We are not going out today I guess. I cancel my dinner plans. You win this round snowdrift. Charlene: 2 Snowdrift: 2

Day 4: It is -18 degrees outside, -23 with the windchill. I don't even want to know how big the snowdrift is. My friend Cara needs me to watch her daughter for a bit. No problem I tell her, but you will likely have to walk her in from the road, we are completely snowed in. When she arrives she can't believe the size of the thing, it is much worse than she thought. After she picks her daughter I head out to survey things. The snowdrift is now 5 ft tall, and at least a car length deep. There is no way I can shovel through that thing. It would take me all day and I just can't leave the kids alone inside that long. The snowdrift is winning! Charlene: 2 Snowdrift: 3
I was supposed to go to my friend Tracey's for dinner last night, but due to the snow we postponed until tonight, I facebook her "I don't think we are getting out today either, my driveway is even worse. I am going to try to figure something out but I just don't know if it's going to happen".

Knowing I could not shovel my way out, I started making some phone calls, and I found a bobcat who could come dig us out. While we were waiting for him to come to our rescue, Tracey sent her husband over to help us. Poor guy had no idea. When he saw the 5ft snow drift he too was shocked. I told him I had a bobcat on the way, but he was so nice and came back later with a snow blower to clear the other half of my driveway. I did a dance of joy. We were freeeeeeeee! Wooo hooo!! Dinner was on. Charlene: 3 Snowdrift: 3.

I took my chance and escaped to the store to pick up some ingredients so I could make cheesy carrots. It felt good to be out! The snowbank at the end of the driveway was taller than me!!
Fast forward to 4:45. It is -7 degrees outside. The carrots are made, the kids are bundled up and ready to go,  time to go to Tracey's for dinner. I strap the kids into the car and reach into my pocket for my car keys.....hmmmm not there. I turn around to go back into the house only to realize.......I am locked out. GREAT! I remember we have 2 hidden keys. I run around to the back porch but cannot find the key. I try to find the other key's hiding place but there is too much snow.

I unstrap the kids and we trudge through the snow to the neighbours house. I make several frantic phone calls and reach my friend Peggy who thinks she has a key. As she is on her way over my neighbour returns to the house with us and finds my spare key. Peggy arrives just as we get into the house. My gosh could this day get any crazier?

We are now over an hour late to dinner, so I make a few more phone calls and head out. Thankfully the rest of the evening is great and when we return home, no signs of the snowdrift.....yet

Day 5: It's around -1 degree outside and snowing. Do we really need MORE snow? I have people coming over for dinner, let's hope the weather holds. I survey my driveway once more. So far so good.  My dinner guest arrive and inform me that the roads are terrible and my driveway is getting pretty sketchy. The are thankfully both able to get in and out OK (and make it home safely on the treacherous unplowed roads) but I fear that I might not be so lucky come morning. Fingers crossed.

Day 6 : 0 degrees and clear.The sun is just coming up and I am just about to venture out and see what lurks in my driveway. From my window I can see quite a thick layer of snow on my car. Is it going to be another day stuck at home or are we getting out? It does not look promising, but at least it is warm enough today that I can maybe bundle up the kids and bring them out with me to try and shovel for a bit.  I'll let you know how we fare.

Final score of Charlene vs The snowdrift : Pending