Joe, My New Best Friend

Is there anything lovelier than undisturbed snow?

Yes, yes there is. Even more lovely than undisturbed snow is snow that has been disturbed to the extent that I can walk to the car without sinking over the top of my Danskos in fresh powder. When the Boys were home, this wasn't so much of a problem. Boy#3 was reliably willing to shovel the front walks, and Boy#4 would finish cleaning our corner by clearing the side street.

But when the boys left for their own snow days far away, the clearing of the sidewalks was left to Husband. I've read way too many stories about middle-aged men who suffer heart attacks after shoveling snow, so enter my Christmas gift to him.

How cute it that? It's a Snow Joe. And this morning when tax season meant Husband had to be in the office even though it was a snow day for the rest of us, I decided to take it out for a spin.

First, I bundled appropriately for the near-zero temperatures. Two pairs of socks. Husband's bulky gloves. Stocking cap. A Webster Magnet School scarf. I was a pretty, pretty girl.

Then I plugged in Joe and started through the drifts.

People, may I just say that I love Joe almost as much as I love my heavy-duty mixer. Instead of the bend and scoop, bend and scoop, repeat, repeat, repeat of shoveling, Joe chews through the snow and sends a plume of sparkly fairy dust into the air.

It was like this, with fewer trees and on a slightly smaller scale. (Yes, I took pictures of Joe in action, but it was so bright I didn't realize I had the camera set on "view only." Shoot.)

I spent the next hour pushing Joe up and down the sidewalks and through the driveway, grinning the whole time.

Last week when Husband took Joe out following the Blizzard of Oz he, too, came back in the house grinning. "You know the best part about it?" my accountant spouse asked "Look at those straight lines!"

It's good to have a friend both of us love.