SnowSLO Storm

This was just the start of the snow storm.   And already we had several inches of snow.  And this would be our 3rd big dump of snow this season.




This was the first winter that I was dreading shovelling.  Maybe it's because it feels like it's getting more and more difficult.  Or I was getting lazy.  I don't mind shovelling.  I look at it as a free Crossfit workout.  I've seen some of those routines and you can hurt yourself if you don't do them right or don't build up to them.  I think I just wanted to make my life a bit easier.



We have this laneway where i have no place to dump the snow on either side.  Thinking about piling it up in the front and back and then putting my back into it, since i just used my legs to push all that snow there was not something i was looking forward to.


So for the first time, I bought a snowblower.  Not a 3-stage gas model, but an single stage 15A electric corded model.  Gas is certainly the most powerful, but i didn't want the hassle of managing the fuel.  The battery powered ones have the freedom, but run times are short and batteries are expensive.  Some are not as powerful as their corded versions.  I also wanted something convenient to bring to the cottage to help us clear the snow there.

So I visited my 2nd place of work - Home Depot - or where some people think i work.  Especially when i'm in the middle of a reno.  I looked at the various makes and models there.  Cost, features, motor size, build quality.

I saw this brand.  SnowJoe.  I laughed cuz we have a friend named Joe.  And he's a SLO.  He would never lend his name to this china brand thing.  Joe's a big gentle giant kind of guy.  And this snowblower was small and not manly at all.  If anything it fits this Asian dude.

It had the larger electric motor. All the specs were comparable to other makes that had good reviews.  But as with everything Asian, you need to take them with a grain of salt.  Maybe a tablespoon.

But I went online to HomeDepot and found a model that was similar to the one at the store (same motor, but design was slightly different).  But it was on sale.  On Sale to an Asian is like giving a dog a big beef bone.  Could have no meat, but the eye's are bigger than the brain at that point.

So I bought it.  Thought why not.
I used it soon after i bought it when the snow was super wet.  I thought why not?  If it works great!  And surprisingly it worked well!  It threw that wet stuff pretty far.  Since that time it hasn't been used until last weekend when we had a significant dump of snow.  I was so excited to use it I did our house, then i went next door and did my neighbours.  I wasn't even tired.

But this recent dump of 25-30cm I focused on our side.  I was tired.  But not as tired if I did it all with a shovel.  I'd cleared the snow already 2x yesterday (1x with Kieran and Tresa) and then again early this morning before dawn.   I've got some semblance of a pattern that I follow now.  The cord is a bit of a pain.  You certainly have to learn how to maneuver around it.  And you need to be aware of it at all times.  I got my bro to make me this cord thing to wind it up nice and tidy when I am done.  Glad i did, it comes in handy as it keeps it from tangling when i unwind it.


I'm just watching my neighbours at the back struggling with the same thing that I was wanting to save myself from this year.
I still often just push the snow with a shovel front and back, but the snowblower now saves me from the lifting part.

I can see the big mound of snow that they need to pile up somewhere.  That gate is nice, but now it's a pain in the ass.  Guess they didn't think about when it snows.

I didn't realize that the box says it handles like a vacuum.  That's pretty accurate.  It's exactly how it feels when you are using it.

I didn't expect much from this unit.  It's China made. It's got a laughable name, it has specs that can be questionable, but it has a metal auger, it doesn't feel cheap.  Other makes and models were 3x the price and they had a plastic auger.  That was the deal breaker.  Plastic and cold = brittle and break and then you are back to shovelling and now upset.  That's what closed that Marked Down DISCOUNT deal for this unit.

Plus the warranty was really good.

SMCS Gr8 Music Concert - Xmas edition

In early mid-Dec we got to watch the SMCS Gr8 class and honour band play.  They don't have strings in school bands.  The instruments are too expensive to maintain.  So they only have a few basses.  But it's mostly brass and percussion.

SMCS boys are known for their Drum Core.

Kieran's in there somewhere.  Just to the right of centre.  Flute section.
His name is on the program too.

There were several performances in the concert this day.
We got to see the Gr8 class, the honour band, their sister school choir came to perform which was amazing.  And the Fiddler on the Roof production was also performing.


We didn't realize how long all the concerts were going to be.
We stayed til the end.  We didn't get home til after 10pm.  And Kieran had a test the next day.   Whoops.

Hopefully he was already prepped.
He should have been anyways.



Gr8 concert

Kicking a Horse

I love coffee.
I don't even remember when i entered this raffle at Sweet Potato.
When I saw their phone number come up on my phone.  I thought I'd forgotten something there like my wallet or credit card.  I was just there a few hours earlier.

Instead they were notifying me that I'd won the Kicking Horse coffee raffle that I'd entered.

Oddly enough I was just thinking of getting a bag of beans.  But I didn't.  I wasn't sure what this bodum was going to be but I was expecting a glass thing.  And we were totally thinking of re-gifting it to someone that would like it.  Since I have my espresso machine.  Instead this is like a 1L pot of coffee kind of bodum.  It's pretty nice.

We can totally use this.
We think.  Maybe.  I dunno.  Don't worry if you get this we'll keep it clean.

West Lake has the best hot tubs

Kieran was asking when we were going to the cottage.  Glad he enjoys coming here.  We got out to Sir Sams, walked across a frozen lake, sat in a hot tub.

I was hoping for more snow just so that it'd be safer skiing through the trees.  There was barely enough snow.  My skis stopped dead in my tracks and I got thrown.  Glad i didn't break my poles.   They're new and carbon.  Glad I didn't break anything else!   I did put a gouge in my the base of one of my skis.  but a little wax and it'll be fine.

Kieran was looking all over the ski hill for the Green Elan Advertisement guy.  We eventually found him by the BBQ and the bar.  When the hill gets busy.  He gets busy inside the chalet with a few pitchers of Haliburton's finest local brew.  It makes the hill way more challenging.

It was busy this past weekend.  Which we are always glad to see for the family owned and locally run Sir Sams.

For New Years we brought some gifts.  This high quality cheese doesn't need refrigeration.  So we gave it to the guy who will appreciate that the most.

He's not lactose intolerant.
He's cheese intolerant.
He hates cheese.
So much, he's the Anti-Cheese.




That isn't a stuffed toy Kieran is carrying. That's a real deal dog.  He's just real chill.  Lets him carry him around like big maple smoked ham.

Believe it or not, I've never been in a hot tub in the middle of winter.  I have jumped in a warm outdoor pool.  But never a hot tub.  Glad it wasn't too cold.

But I had to try this no chemical, no pump, wood fired, cedar wood hot tub.  It looks like a big bucket.
I flipped flopped it out there to the tub in between the trees and hung out with all the ladies.


West Lake New Years

Holiday Keys

We attended Yahvi's Christmas Recital a few weeks ago and we'd never been so this was a treat.
All the students were amazing!







Especially the girl that played the violin, sang and then did a duet on the piano.  She was great!

Yahvi's recital

There was even this elf.

Not sure how he got here.  Santa must have dropped him off.

Maybe he got off at the wrong stop?
This was the holiday bus.
See that LED sign on the back.












It says.  "Merry Christmas"

One fallen Shiny Star

I'd never witnessed a cremation before today.  I actually didn't think that they show the process of putting the casket into the oven.  But they do.   They take the casket from the viewing area and into another room, open the curtains and then open the oven door and roll it in.  Not as dramatic as you'd think.  If you are thinking it rolls in slowly with bagpipes blaring, you have been watching too much Star Trek.  There was none of that.

Cremation is an option when the situation is unexpected or people just want to do something more than just put the corpse of a loved one into the ground.

We said goodbye today to a friend.
Old dragon boat friends came together to pay our last respects to Stella.  She past away on Christmas eve.

Wished it could have been more positive circumstances for a group to reminisce on more funner times, heh.  Makes us all realize how precious life and time are and how easily the candle flame can get snuffed out.

Sorry we didn't get to ride the Don together, but I'm sure you are ripping up the trails now.