"Come on, girls! Up! Up! Up!"
It was early in the morning, hours before dawn. In the pitch-black bedroom, the sound of snowflakes hitting the window sounded like radio static. The girls all grumbled in annoyance, even the usual, perky Sonja. It didn't help that the bedroom was chilly. I turned on the lights but Momo and Sonja just pulled the blankets over their heads, trying to escape back into the warm darkness.
"Hmmmm, Masterrrrrr, just five more minutes..." Momo whined.
"On your feet, I need your help. Come on, I told you three to expect this."
As I got dressed, Chloe crawled out from under the bed, leaving the comfort of her sleeping bag. She gave a wide yawn and rubbed her eyes with her ears drooping adorably.
"Master, I'm sleepy."
"I'm sorry, sweetie. Once I head out, you can go back to sleep."
Sonja managed to get up of her own volition, which left the three of us with the job of dragging out Momo by the ankles. They all got dressed and we headed downstairs. The reason we were up so early was because of the snowstorm outside. Hopefully, our rural road had already been plowed, but it would be a long time until my driveway actually got serviced. We needed to clear out just enough snow for my car to make it out. In Maine, there could be a hundred feet of snow in your driveway, but as long as the road is clear, you're expected to come into work. As the office manager, I had to set an example on days like these and come in regardless of the challenge. I did have the authority to close the office temporarily due to weather, but considering how busy my company was, I had to ask for permission from my superiors if I didn't want to get chewed out.
We didn't bother eating, as hopefully the job would be quick and we could have breakfast at our usual time. We put on our winter gear and I turned on the outside lights. We all took a deep breath and stepped out into the blustery cold. There were only two colors outside, the white of the snow and the black of the darkness, and if not for the howling wind, I could have sworn we were walking on the moon. Not only had a lot of snow been dumped, but the wind had dropped it in varying depths. The backyard had been swept clean, the snow only a foot or so high, but with my car and the driveway acting as nets to catch the wind, the snow at its highest was up to my chest. Branches and trees were also drooping under the weight of the snow, hanging down over the driveway.
I grabbed one of the four snow shovels set on the porch and turned to the girls. "Sonja, you're going to help me dig out the car. Momo, Chloe, I want you two to wade through the snow and make two paths in the driveway for my tires. When you reach the end of the driveway, look to see if the road has been cleared. Use your shovels to whack the low-hanging branches and knock off the snow. Then we'll all start shoveling. Got it?"
"Yes!" said the girls, each with a different level of enthusiasm.
Sonja and I went to my car and started digging all around it. It was below zero outside, so I also checked to make sure that the car would start. The battery seemed just fine and it kicked to life. I was lucky to have a Subaru out here.
Safe, rugged, and dependable, a Subaru is the ideal car for any environment, ready for any job you need to do. Love, it's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru™.
"Hup!"
"Hup!"
"Hup!"
"Hup!"
Momo and Chloe were doing this kind of rhythmic chant as they waded through the snow. They were each jumping forward, using their legs to clear parallel tire paths. They held their arms out to their sides for balance and gave a loud grunt every time they jumped, taking turns one at a time. Poor Chloe, the snow was all the way up to her waist. It took her a lot of effort to make her way through it all. She needed to take repeated breathers and the lazy Momo was not one to complain. When they came across low-hanging branches, they knocked off the snow with their shovels until they swung up like the arms of catapults.
Towards the end of the driveway, where the illumination from the porch lights faded, Chloe had to rely on Momo's feline eyes for help navigating in the dark. They reached the road but found no end to the deep snow.
"Master! The road isn't clear!" Momo hollered.
Hearing her, I groaned. "Out here, it doesn't surprise me. Come on, Sonja, let's start shoveling."
Since we had cleaned off the car, we started hauling away the snow between the two paths that Momo and Chloe had made. Luckily the snow was light and fluffy, so it didn't take much effort to toss it, but it would definitely be a good idea to start saving my money for a snow blower. Momo and Chloe were doing the same thing but from the end of the driveway and we met up in the middle. The driveway still needed a real plowing, but my car would probably make it through.
By the time we were done, we were all hungry and exhausted, but too wired to simply go back to sleep. "Thanks for all the help, girls. How about I make you all a special breakfast?"
"Yay!" they cheered.
We headed inside and stripped down to our normal clothes. First, I built up a fire in the stove to warm the house and then I started cooking. Bacon, eggs, and sausages; it was difficult to cook up three servings at once, but it was a labor of love. Even though they were tired, the girls crowded around me, impatient and hungry. I poured the feast into their bowls one at a time and they all assumed the position.
"Thanks, Master!" they cheered before burying their faces in their meals.
