Well, today was the big storm. I already had the day off work, which was a good thing. I spent 7 hours on the tractor blowing snow. I started with my driveway, with about 10 inches on the ground and snowing hard. The blower worked well, but slow. Range 2, gear 1. Not sure how fast, but slow enough I really wanted to go faster! About half way though doing my driveway, my phone rang. Neighbor called and asked if I was available to pull her out of the ditch on that steep hill. It has begun!!
I snow blowered my way to her, about half a mile down the county road. Took a while to get there. She almost made it up! Along the way, another neighbor came running out and asked if I could do his driveway. I responded with "Yep, on my way back. Might be a while." And it was.
I didn't go all the way to the hard ball road (and hindsight, probably should have.). Just to the bottom of the hill, just after it straightens, and levels out. Figured people could probably make it on the straight flat with no issues, its the curves and hills I'm worried about.
By the end of the day, I did 5 driveways and pulled 4 vehicles out of the ditch. Managed to get to that turn around just in time for people returning home from work, and they couldn't handle the deep snow.
My wife called me just as I was about to shutdown the tractor after finally finishing my driveway. She said that someone was blocking the gravel road just at the intersection to the hardball. They were stuck. She had to turn around and go the long way around on the loop. I did that blowing mostly for her! Knowing she would be coming home, with my two young sons in her SUV, I wanted that road cleared. In the end, she had to drive around my work. Maybe if I had gone all the way to the hardball, that truck wouldn't have gotten stuck. Oh well, she did get home safe and sound.
At last check, it's still snowing. We got about 15 inches so far. Love the snow!! I enjoyed every minute of the seat time. I provided a service to my community, got some hours on the meter, burned about 10 gallons of diesel, no breakdowns or plug ups, and feel like I have actually accomplished something. It was a great feeling watching neighbors come out on their porches and wave, take photos while I clear their driveways, and text me telling me that I'm a hero. I'm not a hero, just a guy who loves to drive his tractor.
