I miss snow!

This is a flashback photo from 1983, when I was learning how to drive in Holy Spirit parish in New Hyde Park, New York. This particular photo was taken behind the Dominican nuns’ convent when I was ploughing snow with the jeep, and in the process learning how to drive with a manual, or stick-shift car. Now this required a tremendous amount of coordination, because besides driving back and forth, I had to also shift into gear, and lower and raise the plough back and forth. And I kept doing this until all the snow was pushed to the side, so that cars can park in the remaining space. To plough an entire parking lot, it took me a good two hours, but the practice was excellent and I enjoyed cleaning the whole lot, while learning how to drive. There was another lot just as big on the Rectory side. And obviously I miss snow ! I used to enjoy shovelling as it was good healthy practice, as long as you do it gradually without exerting yourself too much. 

The second photo shows me on a huge mound of snow I had just ploughed, as I’m playing the flute. You can see how high the snow was as it reached the top of the gate which was at last 7 feet high. With the heat-waves we’re getting in Malta these past few years, there is no way that we’ll ever see a hint of a snowflake here in Malta. But at least I have many memories of past winters both in New York and in Oregon.