Well, the snow kept coming down. I had to go back out to shovel. I was going to use my plow shovel, but Sena said I was too chicken to try the electric snow shovel.
I couldn’t back down.
So, I had to go out there, after the wind had changed mind you, and use the battery powered shovel. I got snow all over me because no matter what I did to adjust the snow deflectors, the snow just blew back in my face.
I could have been a contender.
We got a real snowfall starting last night and into this morning. Sena took the Voltask battery-powered 48V 16-inch snow shovel out and put it through its paces.
We got about 6 inches of snow and it chewed right through it. It threw the snow into the next county! It took her about 30 minutes to make my job a lot easier with the shovel.
We finally got enough snow to test the new shovels today. Recall we have a cordless electric snow shovel and a snow pusher plow shovel with a 36-inch blade. The battery-powered model is a 48V 16-inch Voltask.
I was a little surprised to learn how powerful the electric shovel is. It comes with two batteries. It has a safety button which you have to press at the same time you pull the trigger. It comes with lights so if you ever want to clear snow after dark, you could do that. Of course, there’s no heavy lifting and it’s easy to push. It can throw snow a long way and you can also direct it left or right. It’s like a vacuum in reverse.
Sena selected the Voltask and save a lot of money. There were other models that were priced in the 400–500-dollar range which didn’t have the features the Voltask has.
The snow plow of course, is a simple tool—just the way I like them. The narrow 36-inch blade makes snow clearing quick and there is also no heavy lifting. Spraying a little snow and ice repellent on the blade cuts down on buildup as you work.
I still prefer a shovel.
We’re waiting for the next snowfall. We’ve had a couple of light ones so far and we used shovels to clear our driveway and sidewalk. They didn’t amount to much, but we’ll get a heavy snow here pretty soon.
We’ve been using shovels for years. I’m aware of the risks for heart attacks in certain people, especially sedentary middle age and older men with pre-existing cardiac risk factors. I’m not keen on snowblowers, mostly because I like to shovel.
I’ve been using an ergonomic shovel for years, although the wrong way until about 4 years ago. I used to throw snow over my shoulder while twisting my back. Now I push snow with a shovel that has a smaller bucket or with a snow pusher with a shallow, narrow blade. I lift by keeping my back straight and bending at the knees, flipping the small load out. I take my time.
I don’t know how high my heart rate gets while I shovel. I exercise 3-4 days a week. I warm up by juggling. I do floor yoga with bending and stretching, bodyweight squats, one leg sit to stand, use the step platform, dumbbells and planks. When I’m on the exercise bike, I keep my heart rate around 140 bpm, and below the maximum rate for my age, which is 150 bpm.
I’m aware of the recommendations to avoid shoveling snow based on the relevant studies. I realize I’m way past the age when experts recommend giving the snow shovel to someone else.
The question is who would that be? There aren’t any kids in the neighborhood offering to clear snow. Maybe they’re too busy dumb scrolling. I’m also aware of the city ordinance on clearing your driveway after a big snow. They’re very clear, at least in Whereon, Iowa.
“The city of Whereon requires every homeowner to clear snow from sidewalks within 24 hours after a snowfall. This means you. If you fail in your civic duty to clear snow and ice from your walkway within the allotted time of 10 minutes, the city will lawfully slap you with a fine of $3,000,000 and throw your dusty butt in jail for an indeterminant time that likely will extend beyond the winter season and could be for the rest of your natural life and even beyond, your corpse rotting in your cell, which will not bother the guards one iota because of the new state law mandating removal of their olfactory organs. Hahahahaha!!”
In light of the strict laws, Sena ordered a couple of new snow removal tools. Neither one of them is a snow blower. I think it’s fair to point out that some cardiologists have reservations even about snowblowers:
There are even studies that show an increased risk for heart attacks among people using automatic snow blowers. Similar to the extra exertion of pushing shovel, pushing a snow blower can raise heart rate and blood pressure quickly–from “Snow Shoveling can be hazardous to your health” article above.
One of them is a simple snow pusher with a 36-inch narrow blade. That’s for me. The other is a cordless, battery powered snow shovel that looks like a toy for Sena. The ad for that tool includes a short video of an attractive woman wearing skinny jeans and her stylish coat open revealing her svelte figure while demonstrating how the electric shovel works. It appears to remove bread slice sized pieces of snow from the top of a layer which stubbornly sticks to the pavement. Call the Whereon snow police.
We should be getting both tools before the next big snow.
The Christmas Amaryllis/Hippeastrum flowers are doing well.
I’m getting older and often I wake up early in the morning feeling anxious and a little blue. I look at the news headlines about people who die and often they’re my age or even younger. Maybe the Christmas holiday does that.
When I get this feeling of dread, I try to think of what I can be grateful for. It’s hard to think of big dramatic experiences. If I sit still long enough, it’s the little acts of kindness that drop down like snowflakes, slowly.
The grade school teacher who took the time to figure out I needed eyeglasses because I couldn’t see the blackboard.
The preacher who sat up all night in a chair with my sick mother when my brother and I were little kids and didn’t know how to help her.
The company that hired me for my first real job when I was a teenager. If they hadn’t done that, I might have become homeless.
The guy who took me to an autumn outdoor art show where he was exhibiting his paintings on a brisk autumn day. Man, it was cold.
The guy who took me to a Minnesota Twins baseball game in the summer. Man, it was hot.
I remember a couple of best friends. We weren’t friends long—but it was long enough.
The friends who supported Sena and me on our wedding day. I still remember it with gratitude 47 years later.
And looking at the flowers helps.
How about some good news? The CDC Respiratory Virus Data Channel reports decreasing respiratory virus activity as of January 26, 2024.
Sena finally got her Lume products delivered yesterday. That’s right, I said “Lume,” the total body odor remover you see being advertised on TV. I can’t bear to watch them, which might say something about how we’re socialized to avoid confronting our own B.O. In my defense, the commercials have been described as “in your face.”
The packet arrived after 11 days, starting its delivery journey in Kentucky. I suspect the recent bad winter weather had a lot to do with the delay. The postal service delivered it and the products inside were frozen. The Acidified Deodorant Wipes package was a solid brick and I bet you could have broken a window with it.
Sena ordered the Lume products with the goal of experimenting with them to just to see if they work as advertised. The long message Lume sent after the delivery was interesting:
UPS has marked your package as delivered! This is one of the best days of my life, second only to when you placed your order.
Please allow an additional 1-2 business days for your lovingly prepared package to arrive on your doorstep. Sometimes packages are marked as “delivered” while they’re still in your faithful mail carrier’s bag or looking cute in the mail truck.
If you still haven’t received your Lume in 2 more business days, please contact us! (Not to brag, but we are pros at Where’s WaldoTM.)
Tips & Tricks for Becoming a Lume Pro
Prep Your Clothes & Prime Your Pits
Body odor happens in two places: ON your skin and IN your clothes. Learn how to both places ready for outrageously effective odor control on our Getting Started Page!
We Had to Break Some Rules to Be This Good
What’s that smell? It’s the sweet smell of science! Our water based cream rubs in like a lotion, and because Lume is not like ordinary deodorant, it doesn’t smell like ordinary deodorant. A natural, unexpected, fleeting scent leaves you smelling like nothing at all.
Pits, Feet, and Privates
Odor reactions are the same no matter where they happen on our body! You can use Lume anywhere you have external odor but wish you didn’t. Yes, even there.
Have Some *Private* Questions?
No need to be coy. We all have private parts, and we all have odor! Find answers to your questions on our FAQ page or by messaging our knowledgeable team at website address. (Trust us, we’ve heard ALL the questions.)
Doubts have been raised about whether or not the deodorant keeps you odor free for 72 hours. I’m not sure what to make of the claim. Most deodorants and antiperspirants that have been on the market for years make that claim. I’m not sure how you’d verify it. I don’t generally go without showering for several days. I’m likely to wash the deodorant off well before 72 hours after application.
Along those lines, there’s also a product like Lume for men now, called Mando. I’m not sure why the name was chosen. It can be short for mandolin or Mandalorian (fictional male warrior character in the Star Wars franchise) among other meanings, usually suggesting machismo.
The Mando product may or may not be connected to the acquisition of Lume by Harry’s Inc. (maker of men’s personal care products) in 2021. According to the web, Mando was launched in 2023.
So, the logical question, of course, is when will the Bigfoot deodorant be released? Hey, it’s well known that Bigfoot stinks to high heaven, and while explanations differ about what he smells like and why, there’s no reason not to develop a total body deodorant for Bigfoot. It could be called Bigfoot B.O. Begone (BBOB for short). It has a ring to it. And there’s even a Minnesota connection relevant to the Lume/Mando creator. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) have documented at least 75 sightings in Minnesota.
BBOB could lead to making him less shy and more willing to share his favorite food, which is beef jerky. And we’re always talking about Bigfoot as though there are only males in the species. The classic 1967 Patterson/Gimlin film of Patty the female Bigfoot (with boobs no less) clearly illustrates the need for an “under boobs” deodorant for the Sasquatch tribe. It would probably have to last more than 72 hours.
I’m not making any guarantees here, but there may be an update to this post.
We saw the KCRG news item about Tegeler Wrecker & Crane getting almost 10,000 calls for help after the big snowstorms last week. They’re a big towing and wrecker service which reminded me of the Weather Channel shows Highway Thru Hell and Heavy Rescue 401. Tegeler pretty much does everything they do, including heavy duty towing and recovery, air cushion recovery, roadside assistance, and more. You can see their operation on Facebook. They go pretty much everywhere, including Iowa City.
We don’t have anything like the Coquihalla here, but I-80 was all but impassable around Iowa City last week. One similarity is that many drivers didn’t pull off the road to someplace safe to ride it out. I guess that’s how similar Americans are to Canadians.
We’re not out of the arctic blast just yet. We’re supposed to get a January thaw early next week.
Kurten, A. (2024, January 16). Towing company receives almost 10,000 calls for help after winter storm. KCRG.com. Channel 9 ABC. https://www.kcrg.com/2024/01/17/towing-company-receives-almost-10000-calls-help-after-winter-storm/
I just saw an article in the Daily Iowan about the importance of knowing how to avoid frostbite during wind chill advisory and warning periods. As a consulting psychiatrist in the general hospital, I saw what can happen to people who suffered frostbite injuries. They were treated on the Burn Unit.
The risk for frostbite will continue to be high for the next few days with wind chills as low as minus 30 below zero, according to the National Weather Service.
The University of Iowa Hospital has a frostbite education web page worthing reviewing. There is also a compelling story posted in 2022 about how two patients were treated for severe frostbite injuries.
The arctic blast continues with temperatures well below zero and cautions about going outside—if you dare.
I have a balaclava, which is a combination scarf, hat, and extraterrestrial two-way radio. I wore it on the first day of the snowstorm last week, when the snow was great for juggling snowballs. I somehow got it twisted and my left eye got covered up. I didn’t know I could be a one-eyed juggler.
I’m not sure if I finally figured out how to don the balaclava correctly or not. But I did it my way. There are models without antennae, which might cut down on extraterrestrial abductions.
Actually, you probably should stay indoors for the next few days while the big wind chill grips the area.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 