When it snows lemons, make lemonade

Shovel Break- enjoying a snow chilled beverage compliments of nature's cooler

Yesterday was better times. There's nothing like the calm after the storm. I found and unburied the lawn chair, and basked in the warming March sun for a bit. That's about the only harbinger of Spring I've noticed this winter, and it was much appreciated. I love days like this when 15F feels like 65F with the warm sun and calm.
I admit it. Last Friday, 2/27, after the third time having our road closed due to white out, I started to think about moving away from here. I think the only two counties in the whole country it was snowing were lake effect capital of the world, Marquette and Alger. It was Friday morning, 5am. Blizzard conditions, looked out the window, all I saw was a drift up to the gutters. Opened the door, had a four foot drift blocking my way out the door. Things were not looking good. We had to travel today to go to an art show in Kalamazoo, no easy drive in good weather.
So I got to it, shoveled a path out to the art van, with snow blowing sideways EVERY direction. I couldn't escape a face full of snow in below zero temps. When it would hit my face, it would melt, then freeze, eyelashes first. I had to load up the art van, which was a pure nightmare. Trying to keep anything snow free was pointless. When I would shovel a working space behind the van, 30 minutes later it was like I never shoveled at all. Same with anything else I shoveled.
Well, we were supposed to leave at 9am, it took us until 2pm just to clear out the driveway. The whiteout didn't let up until about then. However, the authorities decided to keep our road closed until 6pm. Lovely. We end up having to take backroads dirt roads to get on our way, in a heavy, loaded down 2 wheel rear drive extended van. Talk about white knuckling it. We get down to Kalamzoo after about nine hours, and oh how nice it was to see the ground again. Got a good eyeful of it because the way it's lookin' around here, looks like we have two more months of snow cover!
snowdrifts in our yard, 3 feet over the six foot fence