Shoveling Out

I celebrated Martin Luther King Day this year under a blanket of snow, a result of the largest snowfall we've had in over two years. It was perhaps the best way to celebrate today and think about tomorrow's historic inauguration ~ outside, in the quiet sunshine, shoveling the fluffy frozen crystals. My first task was to free the mailbox, buried by repeated passes of the snow plow; the mail carrier will not leave mail if s/he cannot drive right up to make the delivery:

I needed to uncover my car. I've been parking outside since I put studded tires on the car because I don't want to damage the concrete floor in the garage. I'm ready to rethink that decision:

I started for the deck, but I couldn't find the steps until I started shoveling:

Once at the top, this was the scene behind me in the side yard. Charlie, my mother's husband, made those wind chimes for my mom. She gave the chimes to us because Charlie says they're too noisy. That is "West Virginia" painted in blue:

Ken used the snow blower to clear out the driveway last evening. He estimated we had 15" of snow, and it was still coming down. This morning I measured 20" on the deck:

It took me almost an hour to clear this half of the deck. That is our analog antenna, which will be obsolete in 29 days:

I will finish shoveling tomorrow, before the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I want to see him take the oath of office. I want to hear his speech. I want to honor this light at the end of eight long years as the people of America get their country back.