I had no idea how hard it is to get a sled or snow saucer these days. And the amount of money they want for the cheap crap they put out is appalling to say the least. The closest I could come to a good saucer is a 6 pack of thin metal ones (the write up says it's flexible for increased performance.....which translates as thin crap that will bruise your butt and dent on the first time out.) for about $136.00...no joke. And the sleds they have are also just various forms of molded plastic. One type of snow sled is referred to as foam pressed. Every review I read said the damn things peeled apart the first time they were used. They cost $9.99 each. Since when is ten bucks a disposable amount of money?And like everything else that has to do with 'seasons' I'm always a day late and a dollar short. I never look for new boots until I've worn my old ones and find out they begin to leak after about a half hour of use. I never considered that I might need a new winter coat (or two!) until I saw the state of the coats I've been wearing for the past 5 yrs or so. By the time I've noticed this it's rather late to be buying new because most of the good coats are long gone and all that's left are the 'picked overs'. Hats and gloves are still not on the endangered list and can be found almost anywhere. Of course I don't need any hats or gloves.
Snow shovels are out there but not the type that I would prefer. These merchants aren't stupid. With all the snow we've been getting they must have raced to put the most expensive (ergonomic no less!) snow shovels out on display. There appears to be no such thing as an ordinary, light weight, durable shovel....certainly not to be had in my world. In the shovel world plastic abounds as well....which is why I need another one. Plastic!
What I really need is a snow blower and this winter has shown me that fact over and over again. Trying to clear the driveway; walk way (for the mailman..who is a doll and never complains!); sidewalks; deck and stairs; yard space for the dogs....it's like a second ( unpaid and unappreciated ) job! Mother Nature just keeps slapping us in the face. What the hell have we done to piss her off like this...one has to wonder. Yet snow blowers are not to be found either...or at least the moderate priced ones aren't. And all this time I've been thinking that perhaps an electric snow shovel would be just right for me. But at this point I'm ready to buy myself one of the big boy blowers and join all the men folk pretending it's hard work out there clearing the sidewalk. I know damn well they love playing with their snow blowers and I want in on that club. Try shoveling it all by hand buddy...that's real work!
So for now I'll have to end this rant...take my broken plastic snow shovel and my wet gloves....wearing my ratty looking coat and my leaky boots...wrap a scarf around my head because I don't have any hats...and once again try to move that snow from one spot to another...knowing full well that another storm is just around the corner and like everyone else, my snow banks are too big to see around safely and I'm running out of places to put this snow. But first I'll have a cup of tea and some Ibuprofen, please.
