Relative Something

Yesterday was another quiet day in John’s wobegon neighborhood. ‘Bout the biggest excitement to report was the delivery of new snow shovels to my doorstep. I ordered them online and had them delivered. When I got home from work, I found them leaning up against my front door. Instead of bothering with a box, they just wrapped them together with stretch-wrap, so it was clearly visible what was being delivered. I was like a kid at Christmas.

When one of my favorite tools wears out after years of service, all I want as a replacement is a new version of the very same thing. In this era of constant innovation and new product introductions, by the time my favorites wear out, that model is often long-gone, replaced by the next “improved” version on the market.

It happened with our toaster oven recently, and it happens to me all the time with clothes and shoes. When I was no longer able to find my favorite shovel at the local retail stores in my area, I went online to YO-HO Quality Tools, the source of the best snow shovel for my uses. As long as I was ordering, I bought an extra one, too, in case they discontinue this model for some newfangled one next year.

While researching the site, I found a very nice looking shovel without the metal blade on the business end of the scoop. I needed one of those, too, since I broke the one I usually keep for clearing the wood deck. A plastic shovel is also what I take up on the roof, because I don’t want to damage my shingles with a metal edged one.

So, I received three shovels wrapped together. What I was very pleased to notice when I picked them up to bring them in the house, was how surprisingly light they were, even strapped as a group of three. They weigh less combined than the metal shovel that Cyndie bought a while ago as a potential replacement because it had a yellow handle and a black blade.

In addition to the light weight, another feature that makes this shovel my favorite tool for clearing our driveway and sidewalk is the shape of the scoop. It is shaped with side edges and an ideal curve to facilitate pushing snow like a plow AND picking it up and tossing it. Often times those actions are exclusive in a shovel blade. One design is good for pushing and another design is good for scooping and throwing.

Not to be overlooked is the 46″ fiberglass handle with poly ergo D grip. The D grip is essential in allowing my preferred technique of tossing the snow out of the scoop by releasing my left hand from the shaft as I snap the shovel forward, then pulling it back with my right hand in that D.

Just describing it almost makes me want to go out and shovel. Maybe best of all about these tools, they never fail to start, they don’t require gasoline or electricity, they don’t emit an unpleasant exhaust, and they don’t make near the noise of mechanical snow blowers.

Since the month of March is historically good for one or two big snow storms every year, I think my purchase was made at just the right time. Our local 7-day forecast shows a possibility of a big storm next week. With that ‘backup’ extra shovel I bought, I may even invite Cyndie out to allow her the experience of discovering just how meritorious a design the YO-HO poly snow pusher really is.