It really is winter when I go and pull out the ice fishing boots from the closet. I actually had to dust them off and not figuratively. This winter reminds me of the ones when I was a kid, big snowbanks for building forts and lot of shoveling/snowblowing.

Although the area trails had lots of fresh snow on them I for one didn’t get out last night. After shoveling that heavy cast off from the streets out of the throat of my driveway my back had had it.

Knowing the roadside stuff was likely to freeze and seeing it was higher than I could drive over I had to give up a night on the trails – snowshoeing most likely – in favor of a little yard work, brutal stuff too.

Didn’t help that Dan Hyatt was shoveling the sidewalk next door. And as I kidded his father I don’t know what they’re feeding those FFA kids but he made quick work of about three times the area and I think was about to take pity on an old man when I finally finished.

Looking forward to getting out tonight, I should have just enough time before the boys basketball team takes on Cambridge (JV start 6 p.m.) to get out and get some exercise before getting up to the school.