Winter                                                                     Settling Moon

A disappointment of ravens. A phalanx of snow plows. While driving into Denver this morning, Kate and I reached an entrance just as four orange snow plows with monstrous blades and tiny whirring salt and sand spreaders drove onto the 285 in front of us. They fanned out in what is known as the snow plow blocking maneuver, with one on the left shoulder, then, a full snow plow length back and a snow plow width over, another, then the third, the fourth covering the right shoulder. The drive became slow, about snow plow speed.

We were on our way for an important settling task, buying a washer and dryer. Not good to be without them. We found a warehouse like place that sells mostly to contractors and got a good deal.

An interesting phenomenon. The Colorado drivers seemed stumped by the snow, then cold, which left the highways often covered with compacted snow. They went very slow, braked into curves and seemed generally flummoxed. First hint of this came going down Shadow Mountain Drive when we encountered a tow truck with a long cable snaking down into a twenty, thirty foot drop-0ff, the other end attached to what looked like a Subaru with a Thule ski-carrier. It was hard to identify for sure because the only thing I could see was the car’s roof.

Kate thinks, and I agree, that Colorado drivers are used to snow that comes, then goes away. Quickly. We drove, Minnesota style, on past them. No sudden movements and no close following.

Winter                                                                        Settling Moon

No Denver Post newspaper sleeve to fit under our mail box yet. Paper, wrapped in orange gets tossed on the driveway. Makes sense. First morning with my new whiz bang snow blower, all yellow and rust free. I set out toward Black Mountain Drive from our garage, learning the various maneuvers: joystick turns snow thrower, tilt joystick snow thrower chute changes angle, right grip engages movement, left the augur, various speeds and the “power steering” which consists of levers on each handle that, when pressed, disengage the wheel on that side. It was a cold morning, around 9.

When I got to the road, I picked up the morning paper and tossed it back toward the house, not quite making the covered area over our front door. More fiddling with the controls, learning to seat them in muscle memory. Though the snow was powder, the driveway had slushy matter from a previous snow storm and made the going a little tougher than I’d imagined.

By the time I hit the front of the house it was a surprise to see orange come out the chute of the snow blower, followed by, yes, shredded newspaper. Today’s Denver Post went through the augur, up the chute and out in many pieces over our driveway. A lesson.

The small plants and patchy grass, the rocks and lodgepole pine stumps have disappeared under a blanket of white and the dogs come romping in, shaking snow as they run. I’d say they like it.