If It Weren't For Good Neighbors....

...I wouldn't be writing this. I wouldn't be home yet. I'd still be stuck in a snow drift the next street over blocking everybody else wanting to get home or get away.  And if it weren't for good neighbors, I wouldn't have any neighbors at all.

Well, there were a few who turned their backs, but then again, I wouldn't have been able to help somebody in the same position myself. So I won't denigrate them. We all are, after all, retirees, and some are fitter than others.

It snowed yesterday afternoon.  It was a cold snow, not a warm sticky snow. Then today it started blowing.  It carried the snow across the well frozen lake, up on to shore, into drifts along the road along the shore, then up the streets lined with our homes all the way up the slope to the county road.

The plow had cleared our streets in the morning. It was less than two inches, so they hadn't been back again... yet. It was before the wind took its first deep breath and started gathering everything loose it could move from the lake, a gift if you will, helping keep lawns covered, protected against more cold weather to come, and more snow after that, with no thaw in sight yet for a while. Not all gifts are quite universally welcomed however.

I decided to pick up the mail on my way home from work. I could have parked at home and walked the block through yards each way, but the wind is harsh, its chill biting. So I parked by the mailboxes, walked in for a silly little unwanted catalog, and started the car down that street again, anticipating a full U turn to our street and back to home.

The drift just didn't look that deep. It had no tracks running through it to give perspective. It had accumulated right where the down slope ended and land flattened out, so anticipating slowing for my upcoming, possibly slick  turn, I slowed just a bit too much, and bottomed out in the snowdrift. 

Forward? Spin. Backwards? Spin. Slower? Faster? Spin, spin, and spin. Not an inch of movement. Nobody was visible, and I had no clue whom to call.  Steve couldn't help, Paul was at work for several hours yet, no local towing company in my phone, and 911 seemed like overkill. So I honked my horn about 6 times in rapid succession. It took about one minute for people in winter gear to come out, see the problem, and send those over who could help, first one, then a second, then four. By then others were watching to see if they were needed - or just observe the show - but with some rocking by all four in one direction to gain a couple inches, then everybody walking around the car to help in the other direction, nobody had too much to do and everybody's contribution helped. 

There were discussions as to whether the bags of salt I carried would help (no) and how slowly to hit the gas and when to stop. One person slipped and fell, but fortunately when the car was moving away from her. She cheerfully insisted she was just fine, stood up and got back to the business of helping.

One neighbor popped into their car, looked my way at the activity, and chose the other direction to get out of there in. We were making headway so I had no problem with their choice, and as I stated, not everybody is capable of pushing cars through snowbanks on slick surfaces. I get it, and mentally wished them luck.

As I finally got some momentum forward I got encouraging yells not to slow, to keep going. Another twenty feet and I was on pavement again, looking at choosing which direction I'd turn in about three more seconds to get home. I first started to turn where the car leaving ahead of me went, but they'd gone straight into a nice drift. Luckily they'd had a higher and heavier car, and plowed straight through. 

I wouldn't make it if I tried. This was already drifted across and higher than what I just had gotten out of. Since I had the temporary luxury of pavement, I looked the other direction while slowly backing up, and had clear road till almost the end of that block. I figured I'd just keep the speed up through that and should make it just fine, fingers crossed that nobody else was making the silly decision to turn into that drift from the other direction. 

They weren't, I kept my speed, and had pavement again just in time to slow to turn to head up the hill to the county road, again on plain dark pavement. From there it was clear through to my parking spot.

I have no idea just who those neighbors are. I had my windows down  for communication during the forward/back process and yelled our a very sincere "Thank you" as I finally got clear of that drift. I trust they understand why I didn't stick around for more sociable contact, and hope they heard me clearly as  I left. 

Steve had pizza waiting when I got home, even having no idea exactly when that would be. I'm de-stressing under a lap blanket and determining not to go anywhere again for any reason until Monday. Mail? In can wait. Garbage? It can pile up at the door in bags till it goes out. Recyclables as well. Groceries? Stocked. Bills? Paid electronically. The squirrels have their nests, and after watching three of them run through treetops a couple days ago, know they are sure to be snugly curled up inside with tails across their tender noses. For us there'll be TV, internet, books, and each other, safe, and together.

All thanks to good neighbors.