CAHILL, Joseph CAHILL Photo 001 Okay, so my dad wasn’t exactly smiling in this photo. Would you be smiling if you were stuck in a mound of snow? My mom on the other hand was smiling, so much so, that when he asked for help, she ran and got the camera!

So why was my dad stuck in this huge pile of snow anyway? Well, the Blizzard of ’79 that hit Northern Illinois is to blame. According to the National Weather Service, over 18 inches of snow blanketed the area in mid-January. According to my mom, “it was a hell of a lot of snow!” Fearful the weight of the snow might cause the roof to cave in on our ranch-style home, he decided to get up there and shovel it off.

My dad climbed up the ladder while my mom held it. After creating several mounds of snow around the house, he was afraid he’d slip on the ladder getting back down so he asked my mom what he should do. Obviously from the picture, she said “jump,” so he did.

Up to his armpits in snow, he couldn’t get out without some help. Instead of helping, my mom (thinking this was the funniest thing she’d ever seen) ran in the house to get the camera. She of course did help him out, but not before snapping this photo, which is one of my favorites.

Sources

1.  Photo of Joseph CAHILL, January 1979; privately held by Julie CAHILL Tarr, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Normal, Illinois. 2008.

2.  NOAA’s National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office website, accessed 07 August 2008.

This post was created for the 4th Edition of Smile for the Camera carnival hosted by Shades of the Departed.