I just posted a blog a few short hours ago about my new Niagara adventure. I’m housesitting for a friend who is right now (as I look out at 5-inches of newly fallen snow) in the sunny south of Florida. I just arrived yesterday, got the lay of the land and woke up this morning to an empty house. Yesterday was so warm I wasn’t wearing my coat, overnight it snowed – a lot. So my new duties as protector of their home begins.

I saw my husband off to work, sipped on a cup of tea and designed a strategy to get the snow off the driveway without the ability to push it to either side (tight neighbours). They have a snow blower, but…..nawww. Within 10 minutes of lounging and daydreaming I’d completely forgotten the task at hand and jumped into the shower. As I was drying my hair I was thinking how I was in desperate need of a cut.

A CUT!! OMG, I have a hair dressers appointment this morning! I ran for my watch, good, it’s only 9:12 and my appointment is at 11. I pull up my calendar to confirm and am horrified to see my appointment is not at 11, but was at 9 o’clock! My eyes darted to the piles of snow my car is buried under and I panic. I grope for my phone, Wendy is on speed-dial (don’t we all have our hair dressers on speed-dial?) and someone answeres the phone.

I launch into profuse apologies – the traffic was horrible, just arrived in Niagara (they know I live in Toronto), cars sliding off the road, etc. Ok I know, but a little white lie to move things along in the right direction is never a bad thing. It worked! They let me in as long as I could get there in the next 10 minutes.

I grab a hair band to cover my wet hair, pull on some clothes, stuff my arms into my coat, struggle with my high boots and ran out the door. Please god, let there be a snow brush in the trunk of the car. We have underground parking in Toronto and haven’t had the need for a snow brush in over two years! I brush the snow off the trunk handle and it swings up and open. Two umbrellas, four grocery bags, jug of motor oil, a blanket, the slow cooker I’m going to return and there it is, a beautiful snow brush!

As I wipe the 5-inches of snow off the car and scrape the ice underneath from the windows I noticed the snow beneath my feet is soggy, soft and watery. I’m thinking with any luck, the driveway will have taken care of itself by the time I get back.

But I’m feeling horribly guilty. The neighbours all know I’m house sitting. Here’s my first test and all they see is me bolting. Just one hour into my new adventure and I already feel I’m letting my friend down. But I’m now sitting in the hair dressers chair, feeling better now that Wendy is cutting my hair. I may have failed at my first test, but at least I’m going to look good.