Poseidon had the Triton. Thor had the Hammer. Arthur had the sword. Jiff has the knife. All are weapons of incredible power which give the wielder the ability to defeat foes of great magnitude. In the case of the last one, to create my daily peanut butter sandwich for over 50 years, which is equally impressive.

There is a legend that you may not know.

Being the week of the great freeze this winter, it is the perfect time to share the legend of the Power Master 2000 Snow Shovel. For many winters I shared the escapades of having this weapon at my fingertips for massive snow and ice removal. Often vanquishing the menace before my neighbors – who used the latest gas-powered equipment – my partner in blasting away depths of snow gained notoriety. Snowplow drivers, as they passed by the white tornado moving up and down my driveway, turned their heads to witness the Power Master 2000 in action. Jaws dropped when they realized it was a mere mortal and shovel.

Once the plows pushed all snow to the side of the road, I could no longer hold the shovel back as we rushed to dig into the three feet deep, six feet wide tidal wave of snow which covered the end of the driveway. Chunk. Swish. Swoop. Toss. It was done.

The historic event that elevated the shovel to legend happened after the storm where the plows could not even get through to clear our road. It didn’t just snow that day; it was continuous blankets floating down and laying one upon another. Not your typical ski fluff snow either. We thought a glacier had slid across the lake onto our small city roads.

The Power Master 2000 and I went out and cleared our driveway. No small feat in itself. I needed breaks and made the shovel pause to watch my smokey breaths almost form icicles in the air.

As we worked by the road a car rounded the corner onto our street. Though there were no tire tracks to tell where the road was, the driver felt this was the fastest route. Expecting to make up to their section of the backroad, they pushed the pedal harder to shoot snow up behind the wheels like a pair of jet skis. Since they were trying to go uphill, forward progress halted a house away from where I stood.

Then, reality hit. The snow was too deep and too heavy. That car was not going forward or backwards from its stuck position.

Overcome by the eagerness of the Power Master 2000 in my gloved hands, we sprang into action.

I plodded into the street with the snow climbing over the top of my boots. Shovel operating at intense mode, two quick swoops and we cleared tracks behind the vehicle. Then, we proceeded to make clear swatches in the road about 50, 100, and 150 feet ahead of the vehicle. The car backed up, gained traction and speed, then pressed through the gaps reaching the cleared tracks exactly when it needed to increase speed again. The neighbors glared from their windows in awe of the miracle they had witnessed.

Proudly watching the car crest the hill, I leaned on the shovel and knew, this is how legends are born.

Have a Happy Friday.