We are in the midst of a big snow storm right now. It started around 4:00 pm while I was out picking up kids. When we got home around 5pm there were already several inches of snow and driving was treacherous. Wiyah usually drives herself to special needs mutual but there was no way we were going to allow her to take the VAN (of all things!) out on the roads like that!
So I planned to drop her off and then hit the store for a quick sec. Before we could leave at 7, we had to shovel our way out of the driveway. But with the two of us working together it didn't take too long. I dropped her off and ran to the store to buy two items and came straight home. I needed to shovel again.
Just before 8pm, the Hubba dropped me off at the basketball game. Erin gave me a ride home and she was telling me that her husband was out of town and she was dreading dealing with all the snow. (She is pregnant and has three energetic kids). So when I walked in the house I told my family that we had a service project to do. Baboo stayed behind to tuck little kids into bed since it was already past bedtime. The Hubba, Wiyah, JJ, X and I got on our boots and winter gear and headed out to go shovel for her.
Except before we could leave....We had to shovel ourselves out of our driveway again! No kidding. So we shovelled for us and then we went over there and shoveled for her. It was quick work for the big job it was, but I was still kind of surprised at how long it took the five of us to clear her driveway and sidewalks! But it was fun to work with those great people and I loved their attitudes and witnessing how hard they were working. Their neighbor across the street who was also out shoveling came over to see if everything was ok since her husband wasn't doing the job. So nice to have neighbors who notice and care like that.
Well, we finished our job at Erin's and I was so happy just thinking of how grateful I have been in the past when someone has helped me with a big snow shoveling job. And then the Hubba had the idea to go across the street and pitch in to help the concerned neighbor who was also out shoveling. So we helped him with his driveway and walks, too.
That, my friends, was a lot of shoveling. Feels good, too!
But wouldn't it have filled right back in again by morning rendering your work useless?
ReplyDeleteAlso, who clears out all the streets all day and night for you to drive in? I can't imagine snow plows driving on all the neighborhood streets all the time.
Please forgive my naivety.
Yes, the falling snow would mean we'd still need to shovel again in the morning. So you have to decide is it better to shovel three or four inches of snow a few times or do you leave it all and then just shovel a foot of snow once. We got an additional two inches of snow since our final shovel last night. That's manageable for me to take care of on my own if I were so inclined. When we have a big storm like this, the snow plows are usually out and about. I was surprised last night that I didn't see any! Sometimes the snow turns to dirty slush or ice. But last night you were just driving in snow a half foot deep. The snow plows do come through the neighborhoods. We are lucky because we live at the corner of the two most used roads in our neighborhood. So both streets get plowed very frequently. But some of the other smaller streets in the neighborhood (especially the cul de sacs--or "circles", as they are called here) don't get plowed at all. And they are icy messes!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely vote for clearing a couple of inches several times, rather than trying to shovel 12+ inches. The other thing is that when people walk across it, it becomes impossible to scrape up from the sidewalk and then turns to ice. I swear the best time to shovel is at 10 PM or 6 AM, before any traffic has a chance to cross the walks.
ReplyDeleteVery good point. I think I'm the only person concerned with shoveling the snow before it gets driven on. Because yes, most of the time you can drive the car through the snow on the driveway to get out. But then it's just compacted into ice! And living on our corner with all the school kids trampling the snow, it's very difficult to keep the ice from forming.
ReplyDelete