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I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations. This blogger is available for hire! Let's talk and learn how a blog can expand your business.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Plow Gal

I fully admit that I have a stubborn streak. Unlike many people, I don't consider this to be a negative trait. My stubborn streak, although I prefer the term tenacious, has helped me overcome obstacles and has allowed me to enjoy some wonderful opportunities. I have never been one to back away from a challenge, and I don't see this characteristic changing any time soon.

I have been known, on occasion, to dig my heels in over the wrong issue. When this occurs, I often find that I am in a situation where I am pushing myself beyond my safe physical limits. This past Monday, I found myself in this familiar predicament of starting a project which common sense would tell me to avoid.

Scott woke up with the stomach flu which had rendered him down for the count. I sat in my living room watching the snow pile up on the driveway, fretting over its removal. I became hyper-focused on the fact that we were not going to be able to drive to the hospital should something happen. I hate feeling vulnerable, so I decided to take hold of the situation. 

Although I have had no experience driving the John Deere plow, I had full confidence that I would be able to figure it out. After all, how difficult could it be? I am an educated woman who is fully capable of pushing snow off the driveway. I bundled up and headed to the garage to conquer the plow.

Starting the machine was my first obstacle. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me at least 10 minutes before I had the engine humming. Apparently the steps need to be completed in a precise sequence in order for the mower to start.  Satisfied that the hardest task was behind me, I inched the mower/plow out of the garage and prepared to clean the driveway.

It definitely took me awhile to get the hang of the operating the plow, but before I knew it, I was creating a wide swath of clean asphalt. I am sure that creating some sort of pattern in my swipes would have been beneficial, but I wasn't agile enough with the machine to make that happen. Instead of plowing in an orderly pattern, I adopted the "if I see snow, I'll try to push it to the side" mentality.  It worked, but it certainly wasn't efficient or pretty! At one point I was feeling so proud, or perhaps cocky, that I stared serenading myself with the theme song from "Bob the Builder" as I pushed the snow out of my way.

Unfortunately my snow removal attempt was not without a few mishaps. The pedals to go forward and backward are nearly identical and I continually confused them. In an attempt to go backwards I pushed the wrong pedal, accidentally plowing down our previously neatly stacked wood pile.  To my dismay, my heirloom hydrangea bush was also the victim of a similar pedal mishap. In the spring I will have to reseed a portion of my front yard which is approximately two plow widths wide. Thankfully Mr. Bill has a forgiving heart, because I also have to reseed a large section of his side yard.  Those pedals really should be differentiated better! 

After two hours and some collateral damage, the driveway was clear of snow. I felt the surge of adrenaline which comes from accomplishing a new task as I triumphantly drove the plow down the driveway towards the garage. Unfortunately I managed to drive the tractor off of the asphalt and into the woods, stranding the machine in the high snow. 

It's a good thing that I had plowed Mr. Bill's driveway because he was able to come to my rescue and tow the mower out of the woods. He only asked for one thing as compensation: a promise that I was done plowing for the day. After my adventures behind the wheel, I was happy to oblige.

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