Welcome to the Family Old Blue

Welcome to the family Old Blue.  We got to know each other a bit tonight.  I learned that you take a little getting used to.  You made me fall on my bottom, get cold and snowy and frustrated.  But I guess I will let you stay.  I am not one to just turn family members out, while there were moments that I wanted to shut you off and put you on the curb with a "free to good home" sign on you, but after I called my dad and got a pep talk (about throttle and choke and speed) he showed me that we really could get along and maybe (after a few more snows) we will be really great friends down the road and you will become the family member I just couldn't live without.

Phew!  First I couldn't get it started, I tried about 4 times and went back inside to find the manual and read it again to figure it out.  I just didn't have the cord all the way in ;)  So I got it started and went down the driveway.  It was getting dark out since I had to wait till the kids were in bed and when I got to the bottom of the driveway I couldn't really see how far I was and I had the speed up too high and when I got to the part that sloped down, oops!!  on my bottom I went!  I got back up and it took forever to get it going back.  I am not used to something that is self-propelled!  The whole, stopping, switching gears and starting again was taking a bit to get used too.  So I get going back up the driveway and it just doesn't sound right so I more some more switches ;) get back up and then back down and bam it stops!!  UGH! So I grab my phone and call my dad, we talk I think I have if figured out now and then I hear crying coming from the house.  I go in and take off my coat, Connor is crying, Abby is crying.  I go in to Connor's room and ask him whats wrong and he said, "I just wanted a hug from you."  So I hug him and ask him if he was crying loud enough that he woke up Abby and he said, "yes"  grrrrrrrrr.  So I calm him down and tuck him in and go in to Abby's room.  Give her a hug and lay her back down and back outside I go.  Try to start the snow blower again and it won't start!!!  You know why???  I ran over one of those weekly papers in the plastic bag and now it's stuck!!!  So I pull the key and dig the paper out, get it started adjust the choke and throttle and speed and zip-a-dee-doo!!!  Off I go!!!  Got the sidewalk and most of the driveway done!!  Connor was watching me the whole time so I wrapped it up since the part of the driveway behind my car was done.  After the practice I am now looking forward to the next time around!

Oh, I do bet that my neighbor to the South probably called my neighbor to the West and said, "you have got to look out your window and check out the "girl" and her big snow blower!"  The guys from those houses are good 'ol boys, blue collar men in their 40's who do all the outside work and were probably laughing their BUTTS off watching me fall and slip and try to figure out the whole darn thing!!  But by the end I feel that I have it mastered, almost ;)