I know Scarlett never had a snow shovel

I think that there was some mention of the bad weather that swept the midwest week before last. You may have heard about it somewhere. And our little corner of the world got mostly ice: freezing rain, sleet, and lots of slippery sidewalks. We got a little snow at the end, but it fell on top of the layers of ice. Isn't this a pretty picture I am painting? Well, in GA, we get freezing rain and sleet, but it seems like it never hangs around too long. I am here to tell you that this ice that we were afflicted with is hanging on with its icy fingernails. It wasn't going anywhere on its own. I take that back, depending on how the sun hits your driveway or sidewalk, it was slowly melting. But not at my house.

See, our house gets the sun in the back, but not so much in the front. This is awesome for the kids because our front yard has snow longer than the other side of the street. They love it that it takes forever to melt. OK, I admit, I don't mind that part at all. Snow in the yard is pretty. But ice on the driveway, that is downright dangerous.

I tried to get the ice up a couple of times shortly after it happened. It wasn't budging. It was thick and cold and stuck. David came home and was all, "I'm going out to shovel the driveway." And 15 minutes later, he had tried the snow shovel, the pointy tip shovel, a rake, and the tiller. And none of them made a dent in the ice. So he walks into the kitchen and announces that he is heading to Lowe's to buy something, some sort of machine or tool that can get the ice off of the driveway. I laughed and told him to stand down. We could live with it a little longer.

Sure enough, when last weekend came, the temperatures were a little higher and we had some sun. Lots of folks spent Saturday afternoon working on the ice. I did not. I served as the chauffer for my children to attend several social engagements. But in my neighborhood, lots of husbands are deployed, which means that all the wives are out clearing driveways - making me look BAD! So I made up my mind, last Sunday after church: Dana vs. the ice.

This is before from the front porch:

It really was starting to melt in some areas. I think it was close to 40 degrees on Sunday afternoon. But the areas closest to the house, the places were sun never shines, Oh. My. Goodness. The ice was still inches thick in some spots.

It was 1:30. I decided I would work on the ice until 3. I told myself that this was all the time that I had to devote to this project.

Then 3 o'clock came. I had barely made a dent. OK, OK, I can keep at it until 4. The whole time I am picturing Scarlett hacking at ice built up on the driveway at Tara. I am a lovely Southern Bell, I am not cut out for ice removal. To a GA girl like me, the only reason you would ever need this much ice would be for a cooler for a tailgate party or a big wash tub full of cold Cokes on a hot summer day. I mean, really.

I did have some moral support throughout the day, though.

Their support was sort of patchy - several times, they would get cold go in, warm up, watch some TV, and then head back out. They are true fair weather supporters, but oh so sweet!

Then it was 4 o'clock. I was watching all of my neighbors head off with covered dishes to Super Bowl parties. And here I was, still hacking at the ice. By this point, I was in some pain. My hands were red and raw, and I knew how sore I was going to be.

GA peaches are too delicate for this!

At the very end of the day, my awesome neighbor came home and offered to let me borrow her shovel. The handle said it was a transfer shovel. And it was just what I needed. It had a flat part on the front that was better for getting up under the ice. David's shovel would have been great to dig a hole, but not ice. (And by the end of the day, well, let's just say it may no longer be able to properly dig a hole.) Plus the longer handle was easier on my aching back.

Yay for generous neighbors with perfect tools!

The tools in my arsenal:

BUT, I persevered. I did it. The driveway was mostly free of ice. I took a picture of my watch when I had to head in to do some other things like feed my babies. What a long day!

AND no more ice has come. The ice all around is starting to melt. It was 62 degrees today! My blisters are almost healed. Most of my muscles have recovered. And y'all, I really think that Scarlett would have been so proud, don't you?