Sticky

Leaning the shovel against the railing, I kicked the snow off my boots and reentered the house.

She turned to me. “How is it?

“Sticky. Very wet and heavy”, I replied. “Heart attack snow.”

I’d come back the afternoon before, having driven through the teeth of the same storm in upstate New York. It had followed me to southern New England overnight.

The snow was full of moisture, having converted from rain to flakes in the evening hours. The sticky snow is beautiful. It clings to branches and trunks of trees, power lines and railings.

It is rather deadly though. Overexerting yourself shoveling is a common cause of heart attacks for those that are not regularly active. The cold weather can lead to a rise in blood pressure, coupled with the exertion of picking up heavy snow can spell danger for those that don’t keep moving on a regular basis.

We might see another storm or two this season, but have been lucky to date. We don’t receive nearly as much as we used to, and temperatures are warmer than when O’l Jack was a youth. New England is warming faster than any other part of the United States.

I walked the greenway in search of a few winter images. The sticky stuff is so pretty on the trees. Nearby some families watched their children sledding down the hills in the park.

“Enjoy it now kid”, I thought as I passed. “One day you’ll trade that sled for a shovel”