There's an art to a successful blow...

...Snowblowing that is. For many young males in Minnesota and other states where precipitation this time of year comes in the crystalized form instead of liquid, there is a rite of passage when you become chief of snow removal of your domicile.

I've worn that hat for approximately 14 years now and in my younger years a shovel was all I needed given I had the energy and back strength to keep pace with whatever Mother Nature (or was it Old Man Winter) threw my way. As the years went on, I greeted each snowfall with the anticipation of a dog whose owner was about to carry through Bob Barker's mandate shortly after the Showcase Showdown.

But about 9 years ago, my late father-in-law found a sweet deal on a snowblower at a garage sale somewhere out in the Sioux Falls, SoDak, area. After some TLC from Teresa's dad, who was a mechanic at the time, that bargain blower cut through snow like a hot knife through a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

Over the next four years or so, that snowblower helped me enter a brave new world -- the Royal Order of Snow Blower...Guys (ROSBG).

Just prior to when Teresa and I made the move to St. Peter and we knew we were going to be living in a townhome for awhile, I gave up the snowblower with the understanding that once we moved into a house again that I wouldn't go back to the old-fashioned shovel. Once we were free from making someone elses house payments and making our own, and free from our landlords reign of snow removal terror, I demanded we get a new snowblower and we did, albeit a much smaller version of the Snowminator I used to possess.

This thing only has about a foot of reach upwards so I don't necessarily blow the snow off my driveway and sidewalks so much as I do skim it off until I reach the hard surface below. Any snowfall 4 inches or less and I'm gold, barring hurricane force-driven snow drifts. Anything over that and I'm peeling the snow off like layers of an onion.

Nonetheless it's still much more enjoyable and less taxing than that hand-held manual alternative.

Each winter, the first significant snowfall of the season is kind of special for the membership of the ROSBG as you shake the summer dust off the ol' blower and take it out for it's maiden voyage. It's much like riding a bike, in that once you get the hang of it you never forget how to manipulate the wind angles to minimize "snow-i-cuss-come-back-at-your-face-i-cuss" and the subsequent "freezeth-thy-ass-off-i-cuss".

My little snowblower does have one distinct advantage over the much larger and more powerful machines some of my neighbors possess in that I can whip through the 4-and-under snows much faster than they can and operate it, provided the auger blades can keep up, at my own pace.

Anyway, I'm happy to report the first blow of Winter 2009-10 was a successful one, although I must admit my neighbor Mark came through in the clutch with a big time assist using his much larger machine to take out the end of my driveway after the city crews came through with their plows. Usually I get done clearing my snow when those guys come through, but our timing was impeccable this time and it ensured a memorable occasion.