Otis Redding

[Мастер]

Sitting in the driving snow
I'll be sitting when the clear skies come
Watching the plows roll in
And I watch 'em roll away again.

Sitting in the Caribou Coffee
Watching snow cover everything
I'm just sitting in the Caribou Coffee
Wasting time

[KLA2]

^

An email from Anon.

If I have posted previously, sorry.


DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELLER

December 8:
6:00PM--It started to snow. The first snow of the
season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat
for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes
drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses
Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again.
I'm so glad we moved here. I love the snow!

December 9:
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow
covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic
sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole
world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had.

Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a
boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered
up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so
I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 12:
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a
disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll
definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas
would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of
winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's
possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14:
Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped
to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took
my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and
sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon
and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do
quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this
way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so much.

December 15:
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer.
Bought snow tires for the wife's car and two extra shovels.
Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the
power goes out. I think that's silly. After all we aren't in Alaska.

December 16:
Ice storm today, I fell on my ass while putting salt on the drive---
hurt myself real bad. The wife laughed for an hour; she was very cruel.

December 17:
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere.
Electricity was off for five hours. I had to pile the blankets on to
stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate
her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit
it to her. I really hate it when she's right. I can't believe
I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20:
Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the darn white
stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. That 'blankety blank'
snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel,
but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they are
lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about
buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another
shipment in March. Bob says I must shovel or the city
will have it done and bill me. I think they are all lying.



December 22:
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13
more inches of the white '!?%!?$' fell today, and it's so
cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes
to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee.
By the time I got undressed, pottied and dressed again, I was
too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow
on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he
says he's too busy. I think he is lying.

December 23:
Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The
wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this
morning. What is she...nuts??? Why didn't she tell me to
do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24:
6" of snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel.
Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son
of a 'B' who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through
the snow by his 'b???s'. I know he hides around
the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling
and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles
an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been!
Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols and open
our presents, but I was busy watching for that forsaken snowplow.

December 25:
Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the friggin slop tonight.
Snowed in again! The idea of shoveling makes my blood
boil. I hate this snow! Then the snowplow driver came
by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head
with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I
think she's lying. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful
Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.

December 26:
Still snowed in. Why did I ever think of moving here? It
was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27:
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.

December 28:
Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The
wife is driving me crazy!!!

December 29:
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof
or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever
heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30:
Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is sueing me for
a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife
went home to her mother ... 9" more predicted.

December 31:
Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 08:
I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they
keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

[Arneb]

How heartless! He really didn't deserve any better.

Is it true Canadians learn to shovel before they can walk?

[Мастер]

Well, the car with the traction control system made it up the (steep) drive before the drive was snowblown. The car without the traction control couldn't make it up after the drive was snowblown. The driver had similar problems, falling flat on his back and landing hard enough that he had trouble breathing right after. Better now, I think no permanent damage, but it still hurts :(

[KLA2]

Well, the car with the traction control system made it up the (steep) drive before the drive was snowblown. The car without the traction control couldn't make it up after the drive was snowblown. The driver had similar problems, falling flat on his back and landing hard enough that he had trouble breathing right after. Better now, I think no permanent damage, but it still hurts :(

Actually, Mactep, concussion would be the greatest risk. Make sure you have no symptoms. :(

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concus ... N=symptoms

(Crap, sounds like how I feel every Tuesday morning after a long weekend ... )

[Мастер]

Well, the car with the traction control system made it up the (steep) drive before the drive was snowblown. The car without the traction control couldn't make it up after the drive was snowblown. The driver had similar problems, falling flat on his back and landing hard enough that he had trouble breathing right after. Better now, I think no permanent damage, but it still hurts :(

Actually, Mactep, concussion would be the greatest risk. Make sure you have no symptoms. :(

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concus ... N=symptoms

(Crap, sounds like how I feel every Tuesday morning after a long weekend ... )

Well, mood disturbance, crankiness and irritability, but I have those most of the time.

I think the head escaped serious impact, one particular spot on the back taking the brunt of the impact. The soreness has now moved to the front of the chest, despite the fall having been on the back. Weird.

[Arneb]

These might be the joints connecting the ribs to the vertebral column. OR a broken rib having punctured the lung. OR...

Did you see a doctor ? Eh?:glp-blink:

Good betterment, comrade!!!

[Мастер]

These might be the joints connecting the ribs to the vertebral column. OR a broken rib having punctured the lung. OR...

Am I correct to assume the broken rib puncturing the lung bit would be excruciatingly painful?

Did you see a doctor ? Eh?:glp-blink:

No, not yet. If the pain gets better, should I go anyway?

Good betterment, comrade!!!

Many thanks. Not the first time I've fallen on the snow/ice, I did it just a few days ago, no problem. I guess it's all about how you land...

[Arneb]

Am I correct to assume the broken rib puncturing the lung bit would be excruciatingly painful?

That is the standard folklore, yes. It doesn't have to be, however, especially when suffcient blood has leaked into the pleural cavity to cushion the rubbing of rib on pleural lining. If air, instead of blood, leaks into the cavity, that can give astonishingly little pain.

Anyway, I am just fooling around with worst case secenarios to scare the bejeeebus out of you. The point is, if you fell hard enough to have the breath knocked out of you for a moment and to have a migrating pain pattern afterwards, that should be good reason to have someone with a trained have a look. If he/she smiles condescendingly saying, "no need to panic, comrade", the better. If not... the better.

No, not yet. If the pain gets better, should I go anyway?

Well, the story you tell has a certain hautgout. If it does not go away completely ASAP, I'd say better see someone.

[troubleagain]

One of my other friends slipped and fell in a mud puddle yesterday. Got wet down to his skivvies. Yours actually sounds worse. Be well!

[KLA2]

Update, Mactep?

[Мастер]

Much better today, thanks.

[KLA2]

This was what particularly prompted my post. The death of a 21 year old, promising hockey player ...

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/489744

both players tumbled to the ice, causing Sanderson to strike the back of his bare head. He was out cold for about 30 seconds before he briefly regained consciousness.

The York University student eventually fell into a coma, underwent brain surgery and was moved to life support until his death.

Glad Arneb weighed in on this. 8)

[Arneb]

Well, it seems my engagement was quite inconsequential...

[troubleagain]

Nontheless, it's nice being on a board where we have people who know about medicine, languages, economics, electronics, etc. etc.

[KLA2]

And just nice people it is a pleasure to converse with like ... you. 8)

[troubleagain]

Awwwwww!

[KLA2]

Actually, TA, it occurs to me that my compliment may have been inadvertantly backhanded.

You are not just "nice", but smart and talented in many ways. (Photography, good "work performance reviews", wit and wisdom and more I am sure you have not shared with us.)

Even if not in

medicine, languages, economics, electronics, etc. etc.

:wink:

[troubleagain]

Awww, don't worry, I took it in the spirit in which it was intended.