This could have been me.

I so love Michelle’s hardy pioneer woman spirit that I’ve chronicled before right here.

But sometimes…it drives me batshit crazy. Especially this week during our Snowmageddon event that dumped about three feet of snow in our Bucks County backyard.

So here’s the story. It was day two of this epic snow event, and our regular snow plow guy had failed to show up to take care of our driveway. To folks who have seen our place, you know this isn’t the kind of driveway that can be cleared in an hour or two of hard shoveling. It’s wraps around our house in a U shape, angling down from the main road at an incline of about 15 percent. All told about 150 yards long from end to end.

We called a CraigsList ad to find another guy who could push the snow off, and while we waited for him to show up,  I went outside to start digging our way out of the house. I had implored Michelle to stay inside and take it easy. She assured me that she was fine, and she’d just do a little bit to picking away at the snow near our mailbox. I just shook my head and shrugged.

Michelle being Michelle. After 18 years of marriage, I knew there was no hope of stopping her.

As I learned later, Michelle was chipping away at the snow when a snowplow crew in a big rig drove by slowly. “You need some help?”, they shouted to her. Michelle gave them the thumbs up and they turned into the drive. As she negotiated a price, she just happened to mention she was seven months pregnant and couldn’t do all the driveway.

I can imagine the shock on their faces at hearing this news, and the team quickly put their rig into gear and attacked the snow, roaring down the driveway with their blade smashing the mountain of icy stuff into submission.

Meanwhile….at the bottom of the driveway, I was sitting down and taking a short rest, tired out from spending a half hour trying to dig out our cars from the avalanche.

As the snow plow gang came barreling around the corner they spotted me sitting on the car bumper. And they let me have it:

“Dude, why are you letting your pregnant wife shovel snow!”

“Man I would NEVER let my 7 month pregnant wife lift a shovel!”

And a few more even more rude statements.

I manage to sputter a few words to my defense but it was no use. My protests fell on deaf ears as they plowed and scowled at me.

Plowed and scowled.

So while I may be a supportive husband, loving father and all around decent guy to most folks…I am the worst person in the world to three mouthy snow plow guys.