Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 18:03:34 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: A snow day!!
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

At 10:09 AM 2/18/2003 -0800, N Lynch wrote:

>So, what's it like where you are?

Not bad.  Sunday I tromped down to Highs to get the paper but they were
closed.  On my way back -- the 7-11 is a block or so further away, and in
the other direction -- I smelled food and realized that the local bar was
open, with a sign reading "Blizzard Party, 12:00 - ?"  The owner had
already closed the kitchen because he was afraid of running out of food,
but a group of us hung out there until 8:00 when they shut down.  When I
got home I went back to getting the snow at least cleared off the steps to
my building so it didn't get packed into ice, earning thanks from John, who
handles the maintenance around here.  He was simply overwhelmed, came up
for a Scotch, and gave up for the night.

Yesterday people started digging out, holding their parking spaces with
chairs or tires when they took their vehicles out.  I looked at mine,
thought about the fact that I don't own a shovel (hey, I've never owned a
house) and that the snow was two feet deep for at least two feet behind my
car before the plowed part of the parking lot, and deeper than that on
either side, and decided that I wasn't an idiot.

Today, though, I went out and borrowed one.  The owner of a car on one side
of mine had gotten the snow off the roof -- right between our cars.  Then
they gave up, leaving almost no room to work.  I dug out behind, got down
to pavement halfway along that side and half of the top off when I met the
guy who moved in across from me.

Chivalry is not dead.  He dug me the rest of the way out down to the
pavement, cleaned out enough of the car belonging to a woman who lives
downstairs that she'll be able to get out.  We left the car whose snow was
dumped on mine buried.  Then he took my car out and backed it in so it will
be easier for me later.  All the while calling me Ma'am and joking that,
having driven a Hummer for years, it was nothing.  Lovely person.

I don't know what the streets are like but will find out shortly, since I'm
going to walk down to the liquor store to get some wine for me and a 'thank
you' six pack for him.  The sound of shovels still resounds and I feel
sorry for those who are just getting to it, as the temperature is dropping
and things are turning to ice.

All in all, it's been quite friendly, and reminds me yet again why I like
living in a neighborhood where I can walk to the things required, and
people are neighborly.

Elspeth