Digging Out

A foot of snow recently fell on my town.

Another time, when we had even more snow, I dug a path through the accumulated mounds in the alley behind my garage in order to drive to Walgreens. As I recall, I didn’t even need anything at Walgreens I just wanted to drive somewhere before cabin fever completely asphyxiated me.

This time, I had a cold – a four-star, grade A cold. The kind that cannot be ignored – or better not be.

This time, it was only a foot of snow. But a foot of snow buttressed against a garage door can be a formidable obstacle. I shoveled a long time, got in, started out – and got stuck. None of my maneuvers un-wedged my little car, brilliant and red in the white-packed alley.

A neighbor, when called, freed my vehicle and I proceeded to my destination, a little disconcerted by the fact that my garage door opener/closer apparently was not working. At Walgreen’s I accumulated $25 worth of remedies and headed home.

The garage door was still open.

I parked, got out the shovel, and removed the snow from in front of the electric eye that dictates the door’s maneuvers. It worked.

Triumphant – or as triumphant as I could be with a first class head cold – I made my way inside and began taking remedies.

There is hope.