And that's why I shouldn't...

blow the snow with our snow blower.

So...the hubs is out of town enjoying the Caribbean and all its 85 degree weather (waaa, he's working...whatever. It's still tropical.). BAM! Insert 7-8" snowfall here while single parenting two kids and two dogs.

I was GOING to blow the snow the night it happened, but it was so very windy that the drift that had formed would only get worse through the night so my genius brain said, "Of course! Get up early! You'll remember how to blow the snow (from running it two years ago) and you'll be greaaaaaaat!" So that's what I did.

In fact, I WAS a genius and got it started pretty much right away. I blew a Highlander-sized hole through that drift (the rest of our driveway was bare b/c of the wind - woo!) and made it to work on time. It's ok - you don't have to call me awesome to my face. You can just think it.

So the evening happens, the girls are in bed, I'm iMessaging with my BFF (b/c that's what we do), and I finally get out in the freezing cold (and windy again, mind you) to blow the rest of the drift. I of course had to fix the (not straight) sidewalk path our good Samaritan neighbor made for us with his snow blower.

Weeeeelllllll, it turns out it's hard to see with blurry, watery, snowflyinginmy eyes and I missed the sidewalk. I ended up on the (frozen) mud a bit and voila. I'm as done as done is going to be. I head up to the house, turn off the blower, only to have the dogs CRAWLING up my legs, terrified.

Beep. Beep. Beep. I hear what they hear. They think they are being shocked (remember the electric fence we had laid on the yard last week? They KNOW it's in) by the beeping sound on the box it's connected to in the garage. I rip Jessie's collar off, (Maddie's too scared to wear one right now) and unplug the box as fast as my frozen fingers will allow (which is slow. very slow, especially with 50# dogs crawling up me trying to be held.).

Finally I can think. It wasn't beeping when I came OUT...now it's beeping...NOOOOO. I totally severed the line when I did my off-roading snow blowing adventure. Wait! I'm not electrocuted! A miracle!

So now the Invisible Fence people get to come put it back together (splice?) on Monday. Broken before it's even in the ground. I wonder how much that will cost.

No, we can't fix it ourselves b/c it will void the warranty. Special, huh?

And that, my friends, is why I should be the one inside making hot chocolate (drinking wine) and HE should be the one outside running the machinery. From Jamaica. Yah mon.