Of Shovels and Snow

We got about a foot of snow yesterday, which wasn’t all that bad, and I really enjoyed it. I made a snowman, got to exercise in a way other than the treadmill—shoveling heavy snow really is a full body kind of job—and I got to snuggle up in sweats with some hot cocoa.

I am a child at heart

The only thing to dampen that mood was that fact that the future-hubs had to work the next day and we couldn’t ignore the driveway. Calling it a driveway is being generous. It's really a small road complete with a couple twists. 

 

This is part of the driveway post plowing this morning. Already a couple inches covering it. 

The landlord only left us with one shovel, so shoveling became a whole day event. The hubs and I had to take shifts because it was cold and impossible to do that whole thing in a single effort.

Sleeve shot, but accumulation
atop the grill. A couple inches were from the snow storm that
we got a couple days ago. 

 My first turn wasn’t bad. I got about an average driveway length done, and I was feeling pretty confident about this situation. Unbelievably hungry and tired, but confident.

Our neighbors were out too. And by neighbors, I mean the houses in front of us separated by our driveway. Lucky them and their short driveways. One house was also rocking the shovel and I felt a small sense of camaraderie. The other neighbor with the shortest driveway had a snow blower. He’d come out of his house, snow blow for fifteen minutes and be done with it.

By my third time, after my first length of driveway was now covered in another two inches of snow, I watched as my neighbor rolled his snow blower back into his garage once again in full view of both me and our other neighbor shoveling with far less enthusiasm than earlier this morning.

And I thought to myself, what the hell happened to being neighborly?          

There's an air conditioner
under there

 Looking beyond the fact that snow blower guy could’ve easily done the neighbors driveway in the same amount of time as his, he also had a shovel sitting unused in his garage. This neighbor knows that we’re a couple, must’ve taken notice to our shorthanded situation, but does he offer that shovel?

No, no he doesn’t.

What the hell?

I was raised in a household where my dad would just do nice things for other people. Someone not have something and he does? Why don’t you borrow it? Need help? Sure, I can help. To this day, he goes and shovels out my grandma.

At my old rental, my neighbors had a snow blower, too. During really bad storms, they’d come without a word and help with snow removal because they were nice people.  

Snow bank my dog plowed through this morning. If you look closely just in front of the highest point, you'll see where here chest indented the snow as she sunk into it. She didn't expect it to go so far. Pure terror on her face. Hilarious for mom to see. 

Not this neighbor, though. There were no concerns given to those around him. His driveway was clean and that’s all that mattered. Which is fine. I don't expect help. But, I couldn't help but notice just how much he wasn't giving.

Luckily, some guy with a snowplow drove by trying to make a buck by helping out those in need. Being a day away from getting paid, we naturally had $2 to our name, so we couldn’t pay what he was asking and didn’t fault him for passing us by.   

But this guy, being a genuinely awesome person, took pity on us and as he said “consider it my good deed for the day” came and plowed the whole driveway for free.

The bottom of the trees are buried. Pretty though.

Not only did that ensure that the hubs could get to work this morning, it reminded me that while some people can’t see past their own front yards, there are some really great people who do.

 I hope our plowman gets something great in return, and I will find a way to pay it forward. Maybe I’ll run into him again when my pockets are a little less empty or he’s in need and be able to return the favor.

I hope everyone else weathered the storm as well as we did and maybe you were blessed with a good Samaritan coming to your aid.