What irony of fate! This winter, I decided to treat myself and buy a new snowblower and a snowmobile for the first time. I could already picture myself exploring the snowy trails, admiring the winter landscapes, and enjoying the cold season. Imagine my surprise when I realized there was hardly any snow! I barely had the chance to use my snowblower three or four times to clear my driveway. As for the snowmobile, it sat patiently in the garage, desperately waiting for a snowfall that would come little or not at all.
I feel like a child who was given a bike for Christmas but can’t use it because it’s constantly raining. Fortunately, there is a silver lining to all this: my machines are not getting worn out. They will be as good as new next winter… if there’s snow. But honestly, I would prefer if they got a bit worn out and I could have some fun with them! But we’ll come back to the “complaining” a bit later, alright?
Let’s Talk About the Facts
What a disappointment! I had been preparing for months to play with these machines. Watching YouTube videos and reading on the internet! Now nature plays a trick on me. It seems as if it conspired against me to spoil my fun. Quite funny, I had just said to my wife, “Can you imagine if the winter we get our new machines, it doesn’t snow?”
That’s just my luck! I wonder if I should have bought a boat or a jet ski instead. At least I could enjoy the climate change and the melting ice. Anyway, let’s hope I haven’t cursed us all with my clumsy season’s early prediction. Let’s not be superstitious.
But hey, let’s look on the bright side. As mentioned earlier, my machines aren’t wearing out. They’re as good as new, ready to serve when the snow finally decides to fall. Maybe next winter I can finally fulfill my dream of sliding and speeding (while being cautious, of course) more often than this year. In the meantime, I console myself by watching snowmobile videos on the internet and reading articles about the best snowblower on the market, my great acquisition! It’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing.
Let’s Be More Direct Now.
As I mentioned earlier, this winter, there has been hardly any snow. It’s the year I bought a new snowblower and a snowmobile for the first time. I thought I could have some fun, go for rides on the trails, admire the winter landscapes…
Well, no! Truth be told, what I think is that climate change is ruining my life. I end up with a snowblower that serves no purpose and a snowmobile collecting dust in the garage. It’s really not funny!
I know I’m not alone in this situation. There are many people who love snow and eagerly await winter. Ski enthusiasts, snowshoers, ice skaters, sledders, for example. But this year, we’re all deprived of our favourite activities. It feels like spring, but it’s cold and rainy, right in the middle of February. It’s depressing!
And don’t talk to me about the advantages of not having to shovel or clear the car of snow. That’s not a consolation for me. I enjoy shovelling; it gives me exercise, warms me up, gives me a sense of accomplishment. And with my brand new snowblower, I wouldn’t even have had to exert myself. I could have cleared the sidewalk and driveway in minutes, effortlessly. But no, I have to watch it rust away in the garage.
I don’t know how many times I’ve said to my wife, “I’m sure I cursed us with my New Year’s prediction…”
I Had Been Waiting for a Long Time
As for my snowmobile, it was something I had wanted for a long time. I had been thinking about it for years. I had researched the best models, the most performance-oriented, comfortable, and safe ones. I had chosen the one best suited for my needs, taste, and budget. I even traded it for my old pickup truck! I had a brand new machine without spending a penny!
I had it insured, registered, and equipped. I even gave it a name: “The Sled.” I wrote an article on Sledmagazine.com about my “Sled.” But it seems my Ski-Doo GSX 600 will stay put this winter. Apart from two good outings during storms at the beginning of the season.
And now, it’s there, in the garage, waiting for the snow to fall. But it doesn’t fall. It’s being elusive. It’s making us wait. It’s scarce. It’s precious. It’s capricious.
It’s a Bit Emotional!
Yes, I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed. I’m sad. I’m jealous of those who live further north, at higher altitudes, closer to the mountains, where there is still snow. I’m tempted to move, to change regions, to change countries, to change planets. Plus, Les Monts-Valin aren’t that far from me!
But I can’t. I’m stuck here, with my useless snowblower and my orphaned snowmobile. All I can do now is hope that winter returns one day, that the snow comes back in force, that the cold returns as the master. In the meantime, I’ll try to console myself by looking at photos of snowy landscapes on the internet, listening to Christmas songs in July, drinking hot chocolate in the middle of summer. At the Christmas of campers when everyone will have brought out their ATVs instead of their snowmobiles.
And dreaming of the moment when I can finally take out “The Sled” without fearing that the next day we’ll be stuck in the “mud.”
There you go, I hope you enjoyed this text. I tried to be funny and sarcastic, while still respecting good taste. The emotions conveyed are surely shared by many people. I’m even convinced that all snowmobilers are a bit frustrated right now! But well, there’s nothing we can do about it.
