Snowcat to the Rescue

Snow fell all night as the temperature dropped. Don’t ever think it doesn’t snow when it is really cold. The two-lane road ending at my house was not plowed, but I used the snow blower to keep the porch and door free of snow and ice. I couldn’t see out of the windows any longer or get the snow away from the house.

As I walked around inside, I kept puffing out little prayers of thanks: “Thank you, furnace, for being faithful. Thank you, walls, for keeping the wind out. Thank you, pipes, for not breaking under frigid temperatures and heavy snow.”

Of course, I had faucets in the kitchen and bathroom on slow drips and had covered the outside faucets with insulated caps. “Thank you, roof, for being deeply slanted and sliding the snow off; thank you for not caving in on me. Thank you, trees, for not falling on my house.” The little thank you litany continued even as the tea kettle whistled out its hot water warning.

I heard a huge chunk of snow slide off the roof and its kerplunk as it landed beside the house. A gusty gale spewed snow inside when I stuck my head out to see the thermometer.

Dialing my closest neighbor, I said, “Hank, I need help. My drive is buried, and snow is covering the windows.”

Shortly after, I heard the engine noise of Hank’s giant snow-cat pushing the snow to the sides, a wall so high it dwarfed me.