Snow Coming This Week: Don’t Do This To Clear Your Driveway

Facing imminent snow this week, I searched for ways to clear my stupid driveway without wrecking my stupid back or risking a stupid heart attack like some stereotypical stupid 42-year-old. You supposedly need a snow blower, but who has $1200 lying around for a good one? They say start shoveling in the middle and work outward, but to me, that sounds like a slower, more methodical path to cardiac doom. Then, I stumbled upon a method that, while I must discourage in good conscience, seemed 100% AWESOME (but please please don't do it).

Picture the scene in Bellevue, Nebraska, where the police recently encountered a scenario straight out of a snow hater's wildest dreams. A local officer took to social media to inform Olde Towne Bellevue's residents that pouring gas on snow and setting it ablaze is not, in fact, a recommended method of snow removal. Which was disappointing for me to hear as honestly I can't think of a more fun way to deal with the torments of January than going Backdraft all over my driveway.

As for additional juicy details of this flaming fiasco? There aren't any. No one was injured, and it's still a mystery whether the person behind this fiery method faced any legal consequences.

What should you take away from this? If you’re eyeing the winter landscape outside and considering a gas can as your tool of choice, I urge you to reconsider. It may seem like the most satisfying way to combat Jack Frost's cold grip, but it’s also, apparently, illegal. So don't do this to clear your driveway. Stick to traditional methods – your health and the law will thank you.

I hate the snow, and I hate the cold. Remind me why I live in Massachusetts again?

While it's been a mild winter so far in terms of weather, there's snow on the horizon for Saturday night into Sunday. According to WCVB, the weather professionals are calling it a "significant storm" for Massachusetts residents. Along the coastal regions like Cape Cod and Boston, there will be a mix of rain and sleet. However, everywhere else in Massachusetts will have "plowable" snow. If you live west of Worcester, you will have the most snowfall. Ah! I am already cold thinking about this snow and it hasn't even happened yet.

I grew up in Wrentham and lived in that small country town until I went off to college. (Yes, Wrentham used to be "country" before the Wrentham Outlets came to town). In 2011, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in country music. Let me tell you, the weather was SO much better for people like me who do not like, or appreciate the cold. In Tennessee in January, you only had to wear a warm sweatshirt, and on special occasions you'd bring out a light winter coat. It was heaven.

As a kid I always hated the cold. I went sledding at Sweat Hill like all other kids, but did I really enjoy it? No I did not. I went skiing a few times throughout my life, and thought I was going to die from the experience. I've tried ice skating a time or two, and it always ended with frozen toes and a red-tipped nose. None of it is my cup of tea.

So if you're like me and you want to do things besides going out in the snow, I have some personal suggestions that have made me downright happier in the long run. I don't need to put my boots on to enjoy the snow. I can do many other things instead.

When there's snow outside, simply DON'T go out in it! Look at it form your window. From there you'll be able to see all of your neighbors plowing their driveways, and shoveling their sidewalks. But you will be nice and cozy watching all of that from the window of your home. That's what I do at least. I make my husband do all of the snow work.

There's nothing better than getting your Amazon Prime account revved up during a winter storm. I'm not sure about you, but I always find myself wanting to buy something special during a snowstorm. One year I bought a new Yeti mug, and another I got a few Valentine's Day gifts for my husband.

I hate the snow so much that the second I hear that it's arriving, I grab my computer and start looking up last minute flights out of Boston. Many times I don't go, but I always try and escape the cold at least one time per year and go somewhere warm.

There's no better feeling than baking something in the oven and then when it's done you open up the oven door to let the heat fill your kitchen. If there's chilly snow outside, bake something savory like an apple pie or muffins. You can always indulge in leftovers in case the snow storm lasts a couple of days.

It seems pretty obvious, but when there's nasty snow outside, stay inside and get the clicker out! (Do you call it a clicker, remote, flicker, or something else?) Binge watching a show is especially fun if you have a snow day and don't have to go into work or school.