Put the truck in 4-wheel-drive and broke through the fresh snow in the driveway around 2:00 pm. We got our first real snowfall of the year overnight, and it came as a major snowstorm. Oshkosh got about 8 to 12 inches, with drifts over 2 feet. Things seem to have been calmer here in Green Lake County, with only 4 to 6 inches on the ground and not much drifting at all. Beautiful day, no wind and temperatures hovering around the mid-20s. Snow keeps everything peaceful and clean up here.

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The pit will not be deterred by mere snow.

Unloaded the summer tires and wheels for Lyssa’s car from the truck bed and stacked them in the pole barn for the winter. Danny pulled in as I was finishing and we talked for almost an hour. I finally got a chance to ask if he could ever hear the music from the pole barn, or just us in general when we’re up here, and if it was a bother. “Oh sure, I can hear you guys if I’m working out back. But if you were bothering me, I’d let you know it!” Apparently, we pass the Good Neighbor test.

After Danny left, I turned my attention to the remaining contents of the truck bed: cardboard, scrap wood, and a broken tote to get burned. I could still make out the depression of the pit in the fresh snow, so I stacked everything over it and lit the pile. It didn’t take long for the surrounding snow to melt (then boil) away. The pit is an all-season utility.

I brought up all of the clean linens for the keep in two large vacuum bags, but I had to shovel the snow off of the deck before I could get inside. The storm door isn’t allowing any snow to drift inside the door frame. Excellent! And there’s still no sign of any critter activity inside. Also excellent! I dropped off the linen bags in the bedroom closet, grabbed the SNESBMC to take home for some upgrades, and closed up the keep for 2015.

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With the truck bed cleared out, it was time to load up the blue ATV and plow to haul back to Oshkosh. This year, I’ll be able to drive it across town to my folks’ new house for even more snow-removal shenanigans. Dad’s new ATV trailer is still in Mayville, so the folding ramps were put to use. I secured the ATV, plow, and ramps with ratchet straps, grabbed the mounting hardware and one of the trickle chargers, and headed back to Oshkosh around 4:30. I’ve got a lot of plowing ahead of me today—looking forward to it!