Schools were closed today, and they will be closed again tomorrow. I’m grateful for everyone working hard to get things back to normal. Despite the inability to move our cars this afternoon, Andy and I managed to trek up to the grocery store. It was refreshing to get out of the house and go for a walk.
Upon our return, we noticed several neighbors at the end of our street chipping away and shoveling piles of snow. We agreed to help out. The street adjacent to ours had been previously plowed, which gave us hope that we could move enough snow to get our cars down the street.
It’s amazing how much can be accomplished with teamwork! There were about eight to ten people out contributing to the task of clearing the street. Some of us used flat ended metal shovels to chip away at the hardened snow, and others shoveled the broken up pieces into a pile.
People had to leave at different times for various reasons, but then other people would come help out. One neighbor brought a tray of waters out, and later another neighbor brought out a tray of hot chocolate. Although shoveling snow was a daunting task, there was some enjoyment in getting out of the house and interacting with others. I reminded myself that I was burning a lot of calories! I also met a few neighbors whom I’ve never really had an opportunity to talk to.
Hydrating while shoveling
Hours later, we accomplished our goal. We cleared enough snow to get all nearby cars out to the plowed road.
The past few days have made me feel like I live in a fort. There are huge walls built up everywhere, with a few narrow paths carved out for walking. The snow will be here for a while, so I’m making the most of it!