Dear Mr. Snow Shovel,

I wish to congratulate you on your heroic duty over the past week. I called you to service from the dusty and spider-webby confines of the garage and you answered!

Together, you and I threw ourselves into the breach and fought back the relentless onslaught of the blitz-blizzard which descended upon us.

For 3 days we shoveled, pushed, tossed and scraped the frozen elements from the driveways and parkways near our fortress and prevailed!!

Sadly, we didn’t emerge unscathed. The screaming spasms in my back and hamstrings were a constant reminder of our struggles. And you, my utilitarian companion, were broken and split from leading edge to handle, assumed to be past fitness for further active duty.

Reluctantly, we have been called back to duty as the cold north winds blow once again and more of the insidious enemy has descended upon us.

I’ve done my best to splint you up and give you back a measure of your utility. Soon, we will enter the breach one more time to push back the enemy.

As you stand sentinel and witness to the attack, I ask, “Are you ready?”