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The photo challenge for this week invites photographers to consider what a circle represents. What came to mind was this snow shovel invention, which makes use of a wheel to create a fulcrum to lift snow.
Last year the total snowfall amounted to over 58.4 inches in our area, all of which had to be removed from the drive and walkway. Because the drive is shaded, the snow freezes making a nice, slick patch of ice to negotiate.
Then I saw our neighbor across the street using a crazy-looking device for removing snow: a huge wheel attached to a shovel. I watched as our neighbor cleared his entire driveway without having to bend over to lift the snow. He gave us the information on the device, and I lost no time checking the Internet on the invention: the Snow Wovel. Time Magazine claimed it as the best invention for 2006, so it’s been around for a few years. According to their website the Snow Wovel is
recognized by Co-op America and National Green Pages™ for its positive, pollution-free environmental standards and zero carbon footprint in usage. University of Massachusetts independent study confirms the wheeled snow shovel clears snow with a fraction of the effort and safer on the back: “comparable to simply walking.”
Wheel technology continues, as I ponder when the first human conceptualized this circular device about 3,500 BC, making life easier for us all.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Circle
Psalmboxkey's Blog 
Written
on 01/08/2016