Snow dog

We woke up to a thin blanket of snow this morning. Oliver helped Lewis clean off the cars and shovel the front walk.

I've learned that it is much easier to clear snow that no one has tramped through rather than to wait till the snow has stopped, then try to remove it. Our borough requires one shovel width to be cleared within 24 hours after the snow stops falling. Yeah, right. After the first year (never had to deal with this kind of shovelling at mom's house out in the country) I now go out several times to clear the sidewalk. And I usually clear the entire width, because you just know that some idiot is going to walk through the unshovelled snow right next to the nicely cleared path. I don't want to be responsible if that idiot falls and hurts himself.

Mom stopped to let Oli out this afternoon, and she cleared the sidewalks. It looks like she swept it with a broom, it is still light enough to do that, although the forecast says it is going to turn to freezing rain later. Good stuff.

Then when I got home (early), Oliver went out front with me to help with the third clearing.

As you can see, he was immensely helpful at tearing up the freebie newspaper

that got caught in the pile of snow on my shovel.

He also likes to clear my shovel of snow. I scrape the shovel toward him, then he "digs" the snow off the blade of the shovel with his front paws. It is like a game. Fun for puppy, less lifting for me. This actually works well when the snow is that heavy stuff.

On another note, the sidewalk is probably going to need to be replaced within the next few years, and while I'm not looking forward to the expense, it should make shovelling easier with less broken bits and cracks to catch the blade.