“We are gonna need a bigger plow”
Sure I've had dreams of dinosaurs chasing me and playing card games with monsters, but up until moving to Holderness New Hampshire, I never had dreams of the scariest monster of all…… MORE THAN THREE INCHES OF SNOW?!?!?! Such a blissful amazing snowfall must mean one thing, snow removal. Now that I have grown quite fond of snow removal, I can make light of the not so great experiences I have had with such a thing. Snow in all forms. Light snow, heavy snow, wet snow, hard snow. Dreaming about snow, touching snow, and eating copious amounts of snow. Snow removal is such an immediate reward. It feels like cleaning up after a toddler. The cleanup being shoveling snow, and the toddler being mother nature.
The first snow removal I had ever successfully completed felt like such a reward. The only comparable feeling to eating a hot meal after shoveling for 10 hours, is taking a shower after spending time in the backcountry. Now, a few snow removals deep, and a whole bunch of amateur mistakes later, these storms felt less monstrous, and more like a challenge. A wrestling match between time, nature, and us.
I have worked with some pretty hardcore women in the past, but I can count on two hands, a group of people I know would be capable of moving so much snow so quickly. Most of those people are here. Sometimes, working through the night getting pelted by hail and having your eyelashes freeze can be humbling to say the least, but we are nonetheless, a well oiled machine. This goes for most tasks we complete. I am so lucky to serve amongst such a prosperous and driven group of people. I am starting to see us as a “well oiled machine” shifting our efforts from snow to preparing for a busy spring and summer. I notice that we are just that, a machine. Maybe we are the monsters the snow dreams of before absolutely dumping.
Stella is a full-year member serving at the Squam Lakes Association. Learn more about her here!