I generally operate operate under the assumption if people want me to do work for them they can ask. Clearing out someone’s driveway is work even if you are using a snow blower.
No neighborhoods aren’t what the used to be our society has changed you can either accept it or get angry about it. We now live in a society where you could likely be sued for helping your neighbor. Volunteering to use a potentially dangerous power tool on someone elses property is something I’d be very unlikely to do with out them at least asking me first.
At the risk of making a “kids these days” statement, that might be the first time these youngsters encounter the idea of there being other people in the world other than them who have needs and wants, too.
I have a neighbour on one side who I would shovel for if he ever asked (he is an old guy who is out there shovelling the second the last snowflake hits the sidewalk, usually), and a neighbour on the other side where I stop exactly on the property line. If he can cut down the hedge between our yards with no consultation with us, he can shovel every damned inch of his sidewalk.
When I was a kid, my father had a humongous snowblower. It finished our long driveway in no time at all with hardly any effort. Because of that, we routinely cleared the driveway of the woman who lived alone across the street as well as the neighbors on either side of us. They would always offer to pay. We would always decline the offer. If they pressed, we would suggest they could buy a tank of gas (about $2 at the time, I believe). They were pleased to do that & we were pleased to help. Call us a bunch of boy scouts (which we were), but I see nothing wrong with that.
I can not say that I do that now, however. My snowblower is still a lot of work & I am pretty tired by the time I am done with my own drive.
There has been one winter when a neighbor came over with his humongous snowblower (before I had any snowblower at all). It was very much appreciated and we went through the whole “let me pay you / no, that is OK” thing as well. Unfortunately, they moved away after that first winter. Current neighbors are pretty much the variety that keep to themselves except for an occasional wave as you drive down the street.
Both neighbors on either side of me have snowblowers, and the neighbor across the street hires a crew to clear his walk. As it turns out, out of all adjacent homes, ours has the longest sidewalk… and we have shovels. My neighbor to the right is very friendly and will often keep right on going with his blower and clear our walk as well. The neighbor on the left is somewhat of a hermit. The family never comes to our annual block party or even tries to mingle with people in the community. You win some, you lose some.
My neighbour loans me his snowblower whenever it snows (or I just go over and grab it), and then I do my driveway, his driveway (if he hasn’t already done it) my other neighbour’s driveway, and the sidewalk almost all the way around the corner. This weekend I also did the guy’s driveway across the street because they’re out of town.
Then I fill the snowblower with gas and return it.
None of my neighbours are elderly or infirm, but damn, who wants to shovel snow? Plus, for some reason, I love snowblowing.
I’m not bragging, just sharing to show that there are good neighbors out there.
I bought my house in the summer of '06. It’s got a fairly big driveway, but it’s shovelable, so I went into that winter with just a shovel. The first couple of snowfalls were fine. 30-45 mins of shoveling to clear.
But then we got hit by a big one. I had a drift across my driveway that was about 4’ high. And it was heavy wet snow. I went out there with a shovel expecting to be at it all day.
My neighbor on one side was out with his snowblower. He came over and told me that I could borrow his blower as soon as he finished his driveway. I thanked him, but said that I would manage (I had only been in the house for a few months and didn’t want to impose).
I kept at it - it was backbreaking. I was out there for about 30mins - barely making in progress, when my neighbor on the other side showed up in my driveway, with his snowblower. He didn’t ask if I wanted to use it, he just pointed at one lever, said this one is for “go”, and pointed at another lever and said this one is for “blow”. With that he walked away and left the blower idling in my driveway.
Of course there are still plenty of neighborly people around, and I like to think that I am one of them. But the fact is, I don’t always have time to clear off my neighbors’ property – sometimes I barely have time to do my own. Now, if a neighbor asked for my assistance, I gladly would do (and have done) everything in my power to help. But to not ask, and then grouse because the assistance was not offerred or the work was not voluntarily done, doesn’t make much sense to me.
And I may get killed here for saying it, but to live in an area where heavy snowfall is a common and regular winter occurence without having made some advance provision for its removal (including making arrangements with neighbors) doesn’t make much sense to me, either. I know snowblowers aren’t cheap, and neither is hiring someone to do it, but these are costs of owning a home, same as repairing the roof or maintaining the lawn.
For what it’s worth, I live in a very friendly little neighborhood, and get along famously with my neighbors. We cooperate and help eachother out all the time.
In the OP, it is mentioned that the neighbor walked past her husband to offer to help another neighbor-who already has a snowblower, and ignores her husband. I would think THAT’S a wee bit assholish.
And grousing because “Neighbor A helped neighbor B, but didn’t help me” doesn’t work much, either. Suppose you, neighbor C, got assistance. Then neighbor D would be grousing because neighbor A didn’t help him as well. Before you know it, the entire block will feel entitled to free snowblowing all winter, and every winter thereafter. And FSM-forbid neighbor A feels put-upon and decides to help no one from next year on. Guess who’s going to be the bad guy?
Snowblowers aren’t cheap, but they’re cheaper than caskets. You can get a little baby electric single stage for a few hundred dollars, or you can spend $600+ and play with the big boys. Buy it on credit if you have to. For years I did it by hand while my neighbors on either side of me blew, never offering to help. They would have if asked, but I don’t like to impose. So finally I thought that as my age goes up, risk of heart attack goes up so I got my own. I definitely don’t regret it this year. Better still, I have a two stage machine with decent power and I can I can blow it in my neighbor’s driveway with the right wind, while they putt around with their 2-cycle one stage toys.
Bob, you’re giving me a mind picture of every person around the block just blowing the snow onto their neighbour’s driveway until it comes around to you again, like the wave.
