Don’t snow-crastinate! Get ready for winter now.
It always snows in Colorado on Halloween. At least we always plan our Halloween costumes around snow clothes. So here’s some snow advice for you from me, Brad Nale. I know, I know, nobody likes to talk about it, yet alone do the actual snow shoveling. However, this is the time of year to prepare for it.
Every year, about now, your local Ace Hardware store puts out their stock of snow shovels. And every year, like clockwork, people complain about it. “It’s too early, I don’t want to think about those things, that looks like too much work.” I suppose it is human nature to not look forward to the chore of digging out snow.
Those same people who complain often buy a shovel before they leave the store. Those are the people who are planning ahead. You should be one of these people! It’s no fun to be buried in snow, go to the garage and remember that your shovel was worn out and you got rid of it last spring. Or to get a wet, heavy snow and find you only have a pusher that works well on light snow. Get your shovels now and be prepared.
Shovels? Plural? Yep. One shovel is not enough. You’ll want a pusher with a wide blade for those fluffy, easy snows and a scoop for those heavy, deeper snows. Better yet, get a second scoop so your teenagers can help you. No, I can’t offer any advice on actually getting a teenager to put down their phone, stop texting and help you shovel, but at least you’ll have an extra shovel for them if you can figure that out! Consider getting a bent handle scoop for those really heavy, wet snows as well. You can always do without one, then go see a chiropractor afterwards, but wouldn’t you rather shovel smarter, not harder!
Do you own a snow thrower? If so, when was the last time you ran it? Did you put it away with fuel stabilizer? If you don’t know these things, get it out, try to start it and see if it runs now, not when there’s two feet of snow in your driveway. Take it in now, get it serviced if you need to. Do not wait until it snows and the wait time for service is in weeks, not days.
We know that shoveling snow can be quite a task here in the Rocky Mountain region, but buying your shovels doesn’t have to be. Don’t wait for the storms. Go to your local Ace Hardware store soon and get ahead of the winter. Tell them Brad Nale sent you. You’ll be glad you did!