It's hard not to be grumpy...

I believe I’ve been grumpy since I was four. Part of it comes from being cold all the time. When winter comes, it’s cold and dark, the grumpy old man comes out even more so than usual.

Dark nights, cloudy days, dark mornings, less sunshine, cold, frigid temperatures? Lovely.

As someone who is cold when the temperature goes below seventy degrees, it’s not my most pleasant time of the year. Even though Andy Williams says, ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ (I do love Christmas), my white fingers are saying otherwise.

This week, we got a renegade snowstorm that hit us unexpectedly. All day Saturday I was raking and mulching leaves, bagging them for the recycle center. On Sunday, the sun was out and was 50°. It was gorgeous. We sat in the backyard soaking up the sun. But Monday night, holy crap, the snow began.

I turned on the local weather prognosticators. They were saying ‘Look out Andy’ because here it comes. They were predicting 4 to 8 inches of snow. I hadn’t even pulled out the snowblower from behind all the snow tires in the shed.

I should’ve gone out that night, but my black leather recliner caught me and wouldn’t let go.

The next morning, going into the shed, I moved four snow tires out of the way and grabbed the snowblower. I poured a ton of gas into it and tried to start it up. It did not start. I’ve talked to my snowblower guy in the past about this, and he said to make sure that I empty the gas tank completely by the end of the year. I did that and yet it still wasn’t starting.

I stood back, gave it a look and realized that I had the choke pointed in the wrong direction. I moved it the right way, pulled the cord and it started right up. Gold Jerry gold. To say I was happy was an understatement. The snow was heavy and wet. The last thing I need is to be nursing this tired old back by shoveling ridiculously heavy snow.

I took care of my driveway and a couple of my neighbors. Everyone in the household, headed off where they needed to go. But the thought of having 6-8 inches of snow already on the ground this early in the year, gave me the blues.

I tuned to our local weather forecasters. They said that the snow was over and it was actually going to warm up slightly later in the week. That gave me hope. I really don’t mind snow as long as it comes like the week before Christmas to get us all in the mood for a Charlie Brown holiday. But when it comes two weeks before Thanksgiving, I’m not too happy.

But warmer weather came and some rains overnight melted most of the snow. This guy is one happy camper now. I can see the grass once again.

It doesn’t take much to make me happy (actually it does, ask my lovely bride) but seeing grass after snow blowing over six inches of heavy wet snow was just marvelous.

I need to learn to live with the snow because obviously it’s coming. We live in Vermont, after all. I just like to postpone the cold, snowy weather as long as possible. At this point, I’ve done it. As far as being a crabby, old man, I’m still working on that.

Maybe I can find a cheap flight to Florida?