The winter battle has begun!

As I stood in the driveway and waved good by to a beaten and tattered Chudleigh, earlier this summer, I am certain I heard old man winter having himself a good chuckle. I felt his icy cold breath that sent a shiver down my back. I sniffed back a tear and detected the slight pungent odor of shame and vengeance in that billow of Winter air. I knew he had retreated to his summer fortress in the North. But had since spent the majority of his time pouring over maps and studying strategies. thoughtfully sliding tiny icicles, snowflakes and blue thermometers over a huge map splayed out on a table, he would giggle and jot down notes as he carefully planned this year's attack. He hated Al Gore tauting about global warming and receding ice caps. He despised the theories that he was faltering in his... old age. He hated furnaces. He hated snow shovels. He hated ice melters. But most of all he hated Chudleigh. Seeing him pawned off like a three legged mule made him giddy. Giddy like a little school girl in love. He immediately returned back to his maps with fresh courage.

As I write this it is currently snowing outside. Sunday October 12th. Yesterday, Winter made a preemptive strike by turning down the temperature and peppering us with a light snow. Summer was putting up a good fight for me this year and we have had unseasonably warm weather up until recently. Or perhaps this was part of Winters plan. Lull us into a false sense of security. Make us think it was an endless summer and then when we were all lounging about our pools in speedos and bikinis, sail in and freeze us mid stride as we rushed inside to fetch our winter parkas.

Do not tell old man Winter but while he was making preparations for this years winter season I have been building a secret weapon in my garage. I have been rebuilding my newest snow blower. It has been completely disassembled, inspected and put back together with the newest and best parts as time and money allowed. Friday night I put some of the last bolts on the engine and got everything hooked up as it should be. I pulled on the chord and it puffed out a small hiccup. I pulled again. This time 3 hiccups. The third time I pulled on the chord it hiccuped, belched, farted and sneezed and then roared to life. I shut it off, and tried again. This time it eagerly jumped into action. I tried again yesterday and it started with no problem. Not bad for a 40 year old engine. As I have gone through this snow blower I cannot believe how great the condition it is in. Everything is built strong, out of solid chunks of steel and metal. Nothing is plastic. Nothing is shabby or flimsy and everything on it means business.

The body of the snow blower is being repainted. and I am having new skids made for it. They are being made out of old, thick leaf springs. I also still need to order new bearings for the rear wheels and then I will be completely ready. When it is all put back together I will post a video of it

Bring it on old man! Show me your ugliest face, and when you do... I will punch that face with an iron fist!