Shovelling Snow Is Awesome
I’ve never really understood how people can live where it doesn’t snow. What a bummer that must be. Now, anybody outside of the great white north might think I am crazy, but I just absolutely love it.
I live in northern Alberta, and yeah it gets fucking cold out here. -40 degrees celsius (one of the times it lines up with Fahrenheit! Woot Woot!) is not uncommon. Hey, I don’t like freezing to death, but it’s a lot easier to warm up from the cold in winter than it does to cool off when it’s blazing hot outside and you don’t have central air.
So, when the first snowfall comes down I am super delighted to take care of the chore of shovelling snow. My fiancee hates it. I get to be a hero for enjoying my winter activities.
Shovelling snow is like sweeping. It’s not a very difficult task but it’s very rewarding. You physically get to see your accomplishment come to be as you’re doing it. If you love rewards, it’s an immediate payoff.
Even when my back was acting up, I didn’t delegate this task to my fiancee or step daughter. This is mine. Instead I went and bought a shovel designed to prevent me from straining my back.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
I hate what streaming has done to the music industry, but instead of being an old man that yells at the clouds, I have accepted Spotify for the good it does bring, and you know what the month of December brings! SPOTIFY WRAPPED!
I love Dierks Bentley!!! He may be the only artist that still turns out great albums that I actually want to listen to! So seeing him in my top two spots is not shocking;
“Never You” is incredible. Miranda Lambert as a duet partner is just musical gold (come on now, “We Were Us” with Keith Urban, “Old Habits” with Justin Moore, “Drowns The Whiskey” with Jason Aldean, just add Miranda like you add water to any mixed powder drink!
“She Hates Me” is actually surprising to me because I didn’t care for it when I first heard it. There are many better songs on the Broken Branches album, but I’ll chalk this one up to my step daughter Ava liking this one better than most country songs, and she tends to choose the music when we go anywhere together. I’m just thankful she had her own phone on most of our drives…
“Walkin Away” by Diamond Rio is a fucking classic! Diamond Rio and Blackhawk are my favourite 90’s country bands, so they tend to get a lot of airtime with me. This song is about a couple in a long term relationship, and with my upcoming marriage, I am looking for songs that work for my fiancee and I.
“Get Up” by Doc Walker is just a fun tune. I also use pick up my guitar and crash into my step daughter’s room to sing this song when it’s getting close to noon and she’s still sleeping.
“We Weren’t Crazy” by Josh Gracin is one of my favourite songs of all time! Co-written by the legendary Bobby Pinson, it’s a great song for a couple who think back to their earlier life together. I really deep dove into the works of legendary songwriter Brett James after he tragically passed away earlier this year, and he produced this album of the same name.
Also recently got a treadmill at my house so I can’t make the excuse of not working out enough, and found some old gems that I used to run to.
“Trailer Hitch” by Kristian Bush is the most notable. What a great message. It puts life into perspective about the things we have in life ain’t coming with us when we die. Never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch.
“Let Them Be Little” by Billy Dean has been getting me lately. Holding my son the other night, and I have been singing karaoke to him a lot lately. I hold him in my arms while YouTube randomly selects the next song. Well, he started crying and freaking out, so I switched to watching music videos and this video came on. I bawled and bawled and bawled. I love being his Dad.
“Six Feet Under” by Hardy. I fucking love power ballads, and I believe I told my fiancee this song’s climax is a musical orgasm like none other. TMI to many of you i’m sure, but right now this is the contender for Tor and I’s wedding song if I get to pick it. The passion when he screams “I swear to God, I thought I was dead, on the side of the road, with glass in my head, but death ain’t what scared me to death in the end, it was thinking I’d never see you again,” is addictive. If you love someone as much as I love my fiancee and my family, you will feel that in your bones. Acoustic all the way until the bold line. Just watch here.
WHAT I’M READING
I adore this book. I found it at Value Village during one of my thrifting days. I decided to pick it up knowing nothing about it. I didn’t know the author or any of his works, but I wanted to see if any of my thoughts lined up with the authors.
The writing style is very fun, and the drawings really spell it out for the reader. I spent a lot more time agreeing than I did raising any eyebrows.
A lot of books I consume via Audio because I am lucky enough to have a day job that allows me to have my wireless earbuds in, so while I am doing my physical job, I can be listening, but this book was one I read during my lunch and coffee breaks at work.
While reading the Author alluded to his previous book titled “The Book Of Awesome” and was laughing because I had also found this book at a thrift store. In fact, it was “The Book Of Awesome” that basically inspired me to start this blog site, as that book began as a blog.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As the year 2025 closes down, I am just hoping you all practice gratitude like I have been. It’s the most incredible gift to live this life, and I am grateful for any and all of you reading. Starting this passion project has been fuel.
I still have days where I find myself worrying about little things out of my control, but as long as I practice gratitude I find a reason to smile.
I get to play hockey. I get to hold my son. I get to cuddle my fiancee. I get walk my dogs. I get to listen to podcasts and songs I love. I get to live.
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