First Snow of the Year

Today I woke up to two inches of snow on the ground. That means getting the snow blower (or thrower, if you prefer) out to use. No gas to mix the oil with for the gas blower. So I had to get out an electric I had for light snow. I got it last week at Walmart, a Snow Devil. Half way through using it I started to wonder if a good, old-fashioned shovel might be better. It has enough power but is a rough to push as a shovel. A small clump of grass stops it cold. Of course, it's electric, so there is always the cord to contend with. I always love that first snow of the season...until I start dealing with the driveway. I have a long driveway and don't have many places to put the snow that is removed. So it is always a challenge.

Then I sat down for a while to relax afterward, turned on the television to watch the noon news. All I see is toy and diet commercials. Not to mention the commercials that talk about what a happy time of year this is with family and friends. Am I the only one who doesn't see all the happy, happy? Truth is, I don't think most people are all that happy during the Christmas and New Year time. Do most families get along like they show on TV? I doubt it. Listen, if TV was all that on-target, everyone would be thin, have great clothes, and there wouldn't be man or woman over 40 in sight. So I guess you can't expect the people in charge of what gets on TV to be accurate about anything. Hey, do you ever see someone on the boob-tube that you can really say looks and lives like you? I certainly cannot. The average clothing size for a woman in the United States is 14. Don't see too many of those on TV do you? Well, perhaps an occasional character actor or two. Otherwise most women look like they climbed out of the pages of "anorexic quarterly."

But back to my family. I love them. I would do anything for them. But we don't seem to get along and, if we do make the attempt, the atmosphere gets a little strained. I look at families that are so close and wonder how they do it. There are sibling rivalries, personality clashes, etc.

As I look out the window I see that it is snowing again. Oh dear, more shoveling. Maybe I will go out and get some gas for the snow blower.