congodwarf
02-04-2011, 10:08 PM
There's currently a pit thread going about people who don't shovel their sidewalks. Every winter we get the obligatory thread about people not clearing off their cars or the one about people stealing cleared parking spots. I think it's time we talk about the nice things people do in the winter.
1. My boyfriend's father decided to help out his son-in-law's struggling employer by buying a brand new, wicked expensive snow blower. Since there wasn't actually anything wrong with the one he had, and he didn't need two, he gave us the other one.
2. When we were new to the neighborhood last year, our neighbor across the street used his mini plow thingie to clear our driveway twice just because he saw us shoveling.
3. The first blizzard this year was a bad one - about 20" of really heavy snow. My neighbor's mini plow thingie just couldn't handle it. When there was about 15" of snow on the ground, my boyfriend and I used our free snowblower to clear his driveway. When the last 5" was on the ground, neighbor guy used his plow thingie to clear our driveway. We still don't even know the guy's name.
4. There is a really bad shortage of roof rakes in this area. Our lack of ceiling insulation had actually served to keep us free of ice dams because the rising heat kept the snow melting steadily. Well, this week we ran into a bit of a heating problem. Our 2 bedrooms don't benefit from the fireplace and the heat isn't running so we ended up with huge thick ice dams above both bedrooms. Last night it started raining in our bedroom. I spent hours trying to find a roof rake. Just as I was about to give up, I started looking on craigslist. Of course there are a bunch of people selling used rakes at a 200% or more markup on the cost of a new rake. There are also people renting our rakes for $30 or more per day. Then there's the guy who came up with a design for a homemade rake ($22 in parts) and is offering the instructions, for free, to anyone who wants them.
5. My boyfriend's dad and the guy across the street from him have become their neighborhood caretakers. A large portion of his street is either single or widowed ladies, elderly couples, or people who have been away. Since Pop and his neighbor are newly retired and both have nice snowblowers, they have taken to clearing the driveways and walkways for every house on their street (about 4 extra houses each). They don't ask for money for gas and they don't ask for thanks. They do it because someone needs to look out for the people who can't do it for themselves.
6. My mom recently had kidney surgery and my stepdad has a bad back. Neither of them is supposed to be shoveling. I don't live close enough to be able to get there during a blizzard to help them out and I shouldn't be shoveling either (bad arms). Random neighbors have taken to helping them out, some for free and a couple nice guys who asked for $20 but came back repeatedly during the 24 hour storm to keep their driveway and sidewalks clear, for no extra charge.
So, tell me about the people who make your snow days more pleasant. I know the whole world isn't filled with snowy bastards.
1. My boyfriend's father decided to help out his son-in-law's struggling employer by buying a brand new, wicked expensive snow blower. Since there wasn't actually anything wrong with the one he had, and he didn't need two, he gave us the other one.
2. When we were new to the neighborhood last year, our neighbor across the street used his mini plow thingie to clear our driveway twice just because he saw us shoveling.
3. The first blizzard this year was a bad one - about 20" of really heavy snow. My neighbor's mini plow thingie just couldn't handle it. When there was about 15" of snow on the ground, my boyfriend and I used our free snowblower to clear his driveway. When the last 5" was on the ground, neighbor guy used his plow thingie to clear our driveway. We still don't even know the guy's name.
4. There is a really bad shortage of roof rakes in this area. Our lack of ceiling insulation had actually served to keep us free of ice dams because the rising heat kept the snow melting steadily. Well, this week we ran into a bit of a heating problem. Our 2 bedrooms don't benefit from the fireplace and the heat isn't running so we ended up with huge thick ice dams above both bedrooms. Last night it started raining in our bedroom. I spent hours trying to find a roof rake. Just as I was about to give up, I started looking on craigslist. Of course there are a bunch of people selling used rakes at a 200% or more markup on the cost of a new rake. There are also people renting our rakes for $30 or more per day. Then there's the guy who came up with a design for a homemade rake ($22 in parts) and is offering the instructions, for free, to anyone who wants them.
5. My boyfriend's dad and the guy across the street from him have become their neighborhood caretakers. A large portion of his street is either single or widowed ladies, elderly couples, or people who have been away. Since Pop and his neighbor are newly retired and both have nice snowblowers, they have taken to clearing the driveways and walkways for every house on their street (about 4 extra houses each). They don't ask for money for gas and they don't ask for thanks. They do it because someone needs to look out for the people who can't do it for themselves.
6. My mom recently had kidney surgery and my stepdad has a bad back. Neither of them is supposed to be shoveling. I don't live close enough to be able to get there during a blizzard to help them out and I shouldn't be shoveling either (bad arms). Random neighbors have taken to helping them out, some for free and a couple nice guys who asked for $20 but came back repeatedly during the 24 hour storm to keep their driveway and sidewalks clear, for no extra charge.
So, tell me about the people who make your snow days more pleasant. I know the whole world isn't filled with snowy bastards.