When I tried to venture out Saturday at 7 a.m., I found my front door wedged shut.
The overnight blizzard sent particularly strong winds down the canyon that the river makes. By morning swales of snow 3 and 4 feet high had blown up against the doors, garage and living units, all along Oyster Cove Condominium’s little street between Front Street and the Quinnipiac River’s edge.
I set aside my fear of being blocked into my house and looked out the window. The Q looked beautiful and the scene was positively Currier & Ives looking toward the Grand Avenue Bridge.
Then I made my attempt at escape. A shoulder shove opened the door just a few inches, but the drift of snow had pushed against the door’s hinge so there was no opening it wider without removing some snow.
The problem: How to stick a shovel out the crack in the door, turn left, and lift some snow from the hinge point of the door?
Answer: Find a small enough shovel implement. Where might it be? Look around the house. The fireplace.
Ah, the little shovel that pushes ashes around can now do that service for the snow.
It worked.
For the love of god Montresor!