I'm trying to keep a positive attitude this winter where the weather is concerned, but it hasn't been easy. We've shoveled more this season than in the two previous winters combined. We live on a corner along the route to the elementary school, so lots of dog walkers and kids go by our house. I'm the kind of person who gets out there to shovel as soon as the snow is done falling. I do have help on occasion--two teenagers--but as Laura Altom will probably attest to, we'd rather have a root canal than ask a teenager for help.
The other day I was googling--I google for fun when I'm stuck in my writing--and I came across a message board here in Chicago where people vented about neighbors who didn’t keep their walks shoveled.
Here's what I learned:
You may want to shovel your walks because in many communities there's a number one can call to report the address of an unshoveled sidewalk. The city then sends out workers to shovel your neighbor's walk and the charge for the service appears on the owners property tax bill.
You may want to shovel because one woman's way of getting back at her neighbor for not shoveling during the winter is to let her dog poop on their front lawn during the summer.
You may want to shovel because one woman says she leaves nasty notes on front doors threatening to sue if she falls on their walks.
One man complained about people using snow blowers and blowing the snow onto their neighbor's already shoveled sidewalk. That same man complained that his neighbor should wait at least until eight in the morning to run the snow blower so as not to wake everyone up with the noise.
We've all heard of road rage…well after reading the long list of gripes and proposed retaliations I'm beginning to believe we all need to be on the lookout for people in our neighborhoods suffering from SNOW RAGE.
Which leads me to ask….are you one to shovel or not to shovel?
Marin Thomas
In a Soldier's Arms *Hearts of Appalachia* Feb 08
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts of Appalachia* Aug 08
www.marinthomas.com
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5 comments:
We don't get snow very often. We do shovel when it does snow.
Marin--this cracked me up!! Who knew snow inspired such passion?? here in OK, it's such a big deal when it snows that everyone just freaks out!!
Hubby's a shoveler--he shovels WHILE the snow falls, and yells at the kids if they don't help. I, meanwhile, supervise all of them!! LOL!!
Snow?????? What's that??????
Obviously I don't shovel.
LOL. Cute blog. As for me I don't have that concern as I live in the country so if you want to walk, you do so on the road and as you can guess people don't do much walking around here in the winter. The only sidewalk I have is from the door to the driveway and I do shovel it but thank goodness it's short. *G*
I'm a snow-shoveling fanatic... I hate an icy driveway. But we don't have sidewalks here, so the whole "neighbors shoveling" thing is a moot point.
But, still...LOL on those folks comments!
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