It is unofficially official.  We have a new month, Novembruary.  Novembruary occurs when you get winter like weather in November that would be more normal for the months of January or February. 

I am referring to things like daily high temperatures of 25 degrees, snow storms and even lake effect snow.  Lake effect is always very special to people in Central New York.  Without it we would feel like something is missing, like a dear old friend had gone away.  The kind of friend that you might miss but would be OK with them never coming back.

I remember being fourteen or fifteen and putting boards on the side of a wood shed in mid-November.  It was about 70 degrees that day and I had on a short sleeve t-shirt. 

I remember hoping for snow to make it easier to track deer for hunting season.  Often though there was no snow until Christmas.  “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” was our mantra back then.

But now we have Novembruary. 

I was mostly ready for the snow as much as anyone in Central NY can be.  The lawn was mowed, the lawn mower put away, the snow blower checked and ready to run.  Don’t even ask me about raking leaves.  I have three large maple trees in or near my yard that leave a carpet of leaves every year.  And no I don’t rake them up.  The way I see it is that since God put them there let Him clean them up!

So the snow began to fall as predicted and with it the prospect of never having to shovel my long driveway ever again!  It all seemed so simple.  Start the snow blower, walk up and down the driveway four or five times and I was done.  Sometimes things in life are never that simple.

I would go about 50 feet and the snow blower would shut off.  That would require me plugging in to an outlet for the electric start to work, and dragging the snow blower close enough to the house so the extension cord would reach.  Start, rinse, repeat.  I finally gave up after three or four tries.  There had to be something wrong.

I did some research on my own and talked it up at work.  My course of action was to check the gas cap to make sure the venting mechanism was still there.  When I got home and checked, sure enough it was gone.  I unscrewed the cap a little, started the blower and set off to finish the driveway.  I got about 30 feet and noticed the gas cap was off the tank and missing in action!  Oh bother.  I did find it eventually still sitting on the front of the engine.  I kept a close eye on it after that.

Sure enough it was a gas cap vent issue.  I made several passes in my driveway and the snow blower ran flawlessly for 20 minutes straight.  When I got done I headed off to the local Snapper dealer and bought a used gas cap for $2.  That’s right two dollars.  All that time wasted, frustration experienced and sore shoulders (from dragging the snow blower around) was resolved with two dollars.  It is all pretty funny if you stop to think about it.

So Novembruary I am now ready for you.  Bring it on!  Since you seem to be visiting more often than not the past few years I might just as well be of that mindset.  I just hope there is no Marchuary in what should be the spring of 2020.