Portage River Farm
Notes on our struggles and successes on our family farm in rural Michigan.
(Pinckney, Michigan)
09 Jan Fri 2009
Thank Goodness For Good Neighbors!
Snow is getting to be a tired topic. If fact, I'm ready for spring to start right now....please! This one last note about the snow and then I'll send this blog off in some other direction.
The snowstorm came through today and dumped an additional foot of the cursed stuff on us. I was nearly reduced to tears of frustration to see the impassible wreck it made of the driveway. Freya and I started shoveling at the road in the hopes of at least making room enough for Janet to pull off of the county road when she came home.
I was grumbling to myself in the dark and attempting to find my shoveling rhythm while my every muscle and joint screamed in protest. I noted with no small measure of envy that my neighbor across the road was out clearing his drive with a powerful snow blower. As I stood there, Freya grabbed the shovel and was making an impressive amount of headway.
Next thing I knew I was looking into the headlights of a pickup that had pulled up in the road at the end of the drive. Out jumped a very friendly gentleman who proved to be the neighbor across the road from us. He had seen us at the end of the drive and came over to introduce himself and to marvel at our attempt to clear such a long and deeply buried driveway by hand. After our brief and friendly conversation he headed back to his house.
Freya and I had been arguing over our one shovel and she was doing her best to persuade me to go into the house and let her shovel for a while. Seeing that a second shovel would be a good idea, I trudged my way to my van with the intention of heading into town to the hardware store.
Looking back, I suddenly realized that Freya had company at the end of the drive. Jim, the neighbor, had returned with his snow blower and was busy sending a geyser of white arcing to the side of the road. He ended up lending it to me for the evening and in no time I was making a victory lap and heading across the road to return the blower and express my heartfelt gratitude.
The snowstorm came through today and dumped an additional foot of the cursed stuff on us. I was nearly reduced to tears of frustration to see the impassible wreck it made of the driveway. Freya and I started shoveling at the road in the hopes of at least making room enough for Janet to pull off of the county road when she came home.
I was grumbling to myself in the dark and attempting to find my shoveling rhythm while my every muscle and joint screamed in protest. I noted with no small measure of envy that my neighbor across the road was out clearing his drive with a powerful snow blower. As I stood there, Freya grabbed the shovel and was making an impressive amount of headway.
Next thing I knew I was looking into the headlights of a pickup that had pulled up in the road at the end of the drive. Out jumped a very friendly gentleman who proved to be the neighbor across the road from us. He had seen us at the end of the drive and came over to introduce himself and to marvel at our attempt to clear such a long and deeply buried driveway by hand. After our brief and friendly conversation he headed back to his house.
Freya and I had been arguing over our one shovel and she was doing her best to persuade me to go into the house and let her shovel for a while. Seeing that a second shovel would be a good idea, I trudged my way to my van with the intention of heading into town to the hardware store.
Looking back, I suddenly realized that Freya had company at the end of the drive. Jim, the neighbor, had returned with his snow blower and was busy sending a geyser of white arcing to the side of the road. He ended up lending it to me for the evening and in no time I was making a victory lap and heading across the road to return the blower and express my heartfelt gratitude.
John_3
11:00 PM EST