Mom probably never touched the snow blower. She may not have known where the gas can lived. But somebody made sure it started every winter, and now that somebody is gone, so the machine sits in the garage waiting for an invitation.

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Decide who owns it

Write one name on a piece of tape on the handle. It can be your father, if he still wants the job, or you, or a neighbor who has said yes. When the first storm comes, nobody should have to wonder whose job it is. A machine with no owner gets tried once, fails, and gets pushed to the back wall until spring.

Then check what he can physically do this winter. Can he pull the cord, lift the handle, and carry a fuel can without his back complaining for a day afterward? Ask him directly and let him answer. He may say he has done this for years, and he probably has, but the real question is whether he can do it this January.

What keeps it working

Most machines that sit all year fail for ordinary reasons. Old gas goes sticky in the carburetor. The spark plug fouls. The belts or shear pins that drive the auger wear out. The owner's manual lists the exact steps for your model, and that list is the real maintenance plan, more than any general guide. Find the manual, or read the model number off the housing and look up the manual on the manufacturer's site.

Keep a short list with the machine:

Fuel: drain the old gas or run the machine dry before the season ends, then start with fresh fuel in the fall. Stale gas is a frequent reason these machines will not start.

Plug and air filter: check them at the intervals the manual gives, and replace whatever it says to replace.

Chute and scraper: clear packed snow and debris after every use, so the next storm does not start with last week's ice.

Test run: start it once on a dry afternoon in the driveway, let it run for a few minutes, and shut it down. Do not learn the machine is broken on the first morning of a storm.

What to do tonight

Find the manual and put it somewhere he will see it. Write the name of the owner and one phone number for a small engine shop or dealer on a card taped to the machine. Ask him to show you how the choke and the starter work, then write down what he says in his own words. Those are the notes you will want at seven in the morning when the driveway is white.

When to ask the doctor

If clearing snow leaves him short of breath, dizzy, or with chest discomfort, stop and tell his doctor before he tries again. Ask the doctor whether the job is safe for him at all. If the answer is no, the job goes to someone else, and that decision belongs to your family and his doctor together.

Good-week card

The machine has a name on it, and it started once on a dry afternoon before the snow arrived.