Snow Day
Skating away on the thin ice of the new day.
Floater’s Blog: Winter Wonderland Date, December 26th 2025
I forgot how much fun shovelling snow is!
Not.
It wasn’t that bad because it was light fluffy snow but every once in a while, a cold gust of frozen pellets would blast into my face as the wispy powder condensed to become ice crystals. The term ‘bracing’ comes to mind and yet when I look up the definition, it is described as ‘fresh and invigorating’, but I think this was more of a “friggin’ cold and debilitating” feel.
The key is to dress properly for the occasion and luckily, I still have a large collection of winter garments from many years of work in winter environments, but I neglected to put on my balaclava. Mistake.
So, I am out shovelling to clear the sidewalk in front of the house as is required by city law and the front walkway and porch so that my soon to arrive guests can enter with ease. Even with the little bit of freezing rain, it still wasn’t very heavy. The main issue was with the high winds causing drifts to form in the narrow gap between me and the neighbours which also had to be cleared. Then of course the rest of the way up the side of the house to where the basement tenant goes in and I couldn’t not clear a path to the garage in the back where the beer fridge was hard at work.
Light snow, yes, but lots of it and it needs to be moved long distances to clear all those walkways which have no place to put it. So, it actually becomes quite a good workout with all that plow-like pushing and especially for your core when you are throwing a bunch of full large shovel loads to a semi-distant gathering heap.
There was also the sidewalk in front of my neighbour’s house to clear because they were out of town and I felt obliged because they do mine quite often as I am usually the one away all winter. Then in the spirit of the season and because the snow was so light I decided to clear a width of path for pedestrians in front of the next three homes which are mostly occupied by elderly folks
Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto I experienced many a winter, so I am very familiar with the best techniques to make the task easier on myself, and I know to bend my legs for lifts to avoid back injury.
You also need to have the right tools of the trade.
A plow or pusher shovel is ideal for the light stuff or a minimal dropping of heavier wet snow. I will move down a size to the scoop shovel for pushing heavier snow or lifting and throwing. After a thaw and re-freeze an ice breaker is often necessary but a typical garden spade does this job just fine. Finally, a broom for dusting off very light powder layers and to fit between railings, etc. You will also want to have a bucket of ice melter crystals - eco friendly preferably.
The other thing about growing up in the burbs is the childhood memories of big snow storms which meant giant snow piles for making snow forts. The snow plows helped with this by creating a ridge line just above the curb which became mountains to us little tykes for clambering over on our walk to school. Where each driveway intersected the street were the two highest peaks as all that snow had to be moved somewhere to allow dad’s car to get in.
I recall a day in my pre-teens, similar to today, which must have been over the Christmas break or on a weekend because school was not an issue. Maybe it was a ‘snow day’ when school is cancelled, in which we woke to find a half meter of fresh snow covering everything you could see. On top of this was a layer of freezing rain which had created an undulating white skating surface throughout the entire neighbourhood. Once I had dug out a space in front of the door from the house I laced up and started skating over pillowed lawns, driveways and even the road. If there was a hedge or decorative boulder in a yard the rounded rink just sloped up one side and back down the other.
I wish I had true photographic evidence because it was one of the most incredible experiences I will ever enjoy.
It didn’t last long. As the morning started to warm, soft spots would form meaning your skate blade would break through to the powder beneath. If you were able to keep your balance and glide on the other skate, it was just a matter of time before another trap would open up at your feet which would force you into a head first plunge into a face down snow angel position with your whole body breaking through the crisp surface to the pillow below. Then you had to try to get back up into skating position without breaking too much more of the glossy coating.
We (by now many of the other little kids in the hood had joined me - big kids had no hope, they were too heavy), realized our magical rink was coming to an end. We were doing more climbing back up than skating. It was time to head home to unlace.
Back to today, not nearly the same amount of snow nor freezing rain, but the city still requires us to clear the sidewalk. I suppose I could hire a service or maybe slip the guy who does it for the school across the street a little stipend to add a few more feet of sidewalk to his route? But that wouldn’t solve the area at the side of the house.
Probably no need to worry about it as this might be the last snowfall we get here with global warming.
What does any of this have to do with beerfloating?
Absolutely nothing, but it is a great reminder of what you could be doing instead of suffering a blast of sleet in your face.
And it brought back that ‘skating on thin ice’ memory which was probably as good a moment as a top notch beerfloat!
Brrrr-bottoms up!
Corliss
beer float.calm = beerfloat.net not beerfloat.com
