We’ve had more than our share of snow so far this winter and it's only January. Here in Westchester County, my fellow homeowners are sick and tired of clearing the driveways and walkways. There’s got to be a better way to do it without breaking your back or your wallet!

Here’s a run down on the pros and cons of snow removal.

Snow Blowers can be useful in deep snow, but they are not cheap. It costs hundreds of dollars for a good one. But they burn gas and kick out exhaust that isn’t good for winter lungs. They are downright dangerous.

There is a risk of serious injury with snow blowers. Last week, a man in Rye Brook severed his middle and ring fingers after getting them stuck in a snowblower. They were successfully re-attached at Westchester Medical Center, what a fun way to start the year. Many years ago, Dr. Vredenberg, a dentist on King Street in Chappaqua, seriously injured his fingers while trying to fix his snowblower.

The Snow Plowers

In the first few years of homeownership, we made a deal with the lawn guys who were the winter snow removal guys. It got expensive. You had to wait for them to show up. Many times they double dipped: came early and then came again later costing you twice as much. The money added up. Sometimes their big bulky plows knocked over shrubs and other yard ornaments; the plow tends to beat up your driveway.

The Shovel

Yes, this low-tech method is better for your waistline and your lungs than the plow guys or a snowblower. Some of us like to joke that this is why we had kids: to shovel the driveway.

There can be a Zen-like quality to shoveling. I personally like the silence and the stillness of shoveling the driveway. The problem is, shoveling takes time and can be back breaking. I ended up with a wrist injury last February that took months to heal.

After the Dec. 26 blizzard, my hubby was done with shoveling. He wanted to buy a snow blower. But, being the green girl that I am, there was no way I would say yes to a gas-guzzling-finger-slicing machine. I did some research and discovered the Wovel.

The Wovel looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, this wheeled snow shovel makes clearing the driveway effortless. The Wovel was named the best invention of 2006 by Time Magazine.

The Wovel passed the test in the Rubin household. My husband said, “Sue, of all your hair brained crazy ideas, this one is a real winner!”

I discovered that there were other Wovel fans nearby.

Michele and Steve Kim of Mahopac are happy Wovelers. “It's everything it was promised to be. It's easy to use, it's even fun. It's fast. It's strong. No fossil fuels. No tune-ups. No lower back strain. No rust issues. No wear issues. No storage issues. Low cost. And it's even fun to see the stares it always attracts from people driving by.”

And Pauline Panagiotou Schneider of Katonah added: “I love the darn thing. I want everyone to own one. I imagine a snowy morning with all of us outside with our wovels clearing our driveways and then the main roads before the snow trucks even get there.”

Susan DeGeorge of Dobbs Ferry said her Wovel takes the chore-like feeling away and adds a dose of fun to shoveling. "Shifting snow from one place in our yard to another by wheeling it is painless, it doesn't pollute the atmosphere or use up fossil fuel, and it's blissfully quiet," she said. "Best of all, though, is the fact that it's also a wonderful conversation starter. I’ve had people who have been driving by pull over to ask about what it is, how it works, did I build it or buy it and, often, if they could try it. What more than an environmentally friendly, healthy, enjoyable, neighborly way to remove snow could you want?"

To learn more about the Wovel visit: http://wovel.com/