That is what neighbors do.

I'm not sure what the statute of limitations is on a story, but this one took place a few months ago. With as warm as it is now, the pics are hard to identify with.

I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I love cold weather. I think snow is beautiful. I could spend an entire day in a warm house, staring out the window as snow lightly falls, but................I hate dealing with snow removal. I hate driving in it. I I hate coming home from work to find the city plows have cleared the snow from the streets right into my driveway. Enough said.

So.

I figured out a way to be as prepared as I can for the "getting out in the morning" issue. In the winter when I come home from work, while it is still daylight and the driveway is clear I back into my garage. Faithfully. It is much easier to drive out of a snowy driveway than to back out of it. You never know when that surprise snow storm will hit in the night, and that way I'm ready. Until that fateful day. I carefully backed into.....my ditch. Not my driveway. Not really close to my driveway. You know that moment where you realize one little ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? I had that moment. I tried rocking it out. Nothing. Tried again. I was making it worse. I grabbed my phone and called Meagan. I told her I backed my car into my ditch and could she send Michael or her Dad down. She laughed. It was such a well placed and much needed laugh. Despite not having a clue as to what I was going to do, it was really funny. I knew later I'd laugh too.

Niether Michael or Dan were home so I was back to my predicament. I looked up and coming down the road are two people running towards my car. Dressed in coats, hats, gloves, boots and carrying a shovel. I hadn't been stuck for longer than 4 minutes at this point. In my amazement I wondered, "Were they just sitting, waiting in full winter gear on the odd chance I got stuck?" It was a middle aged father and his 20 something daughter and there no time for panic, worry, or regret. They set out to get me out as if there was a $20,000 bonus attached to the job. They were Asian and I mention that only because they were both very small, and slender. I thought....oh bless your tiny little selves. Two of you equals one of me and you are attempting to get my car unstuck.

They tried and tried and tried. It wasn't budging. It wasn't terribly stuck, just that the angle of it made it impossible to get any traction. Then she went home and came back with her car and a thin nylon rope. She tied her car to my car with the idea that she would give it just enough oomph to find some traction. Nope. No go. In fact the rope snapped. At this point I was ready to thank them for their efforts and call a tow truck. After all, that it was tow trucks are for. People who drive themselves into their ditch. They were far from done though. They were still shoveling and pushing and working hard. The car remained determined to be ditch bound. The daughter then says to her father, "You know. The only place she is really stuck is this small little clump of ground. The tires cannot get over it. If we could somehow lift the car over the bump I think we could get her out." He looked at her and with all seriousness said, "Yes, but the car is very heavy." That wasn't stopping her. She got her and her dad into position by the driver side front tire. The plan was to hit the gas when they lifted.

I was a little concerned that with the snow and slush and slope that if the plan did work and my car was free it might drive right over them in the process. They had been very helpful up to that point and running over them seemed like a lousy end to the story. But, we tried it. Lo and behold those two very small people lifted just enough at just the right spot that when I pressed as steadily as I could on the gas the front tires cleared the obstacle. Once the front tires hit the street there was enough power to pull the rest of the car out of the ditch. And, I didn't run over them.

I was so relieved I jumped out of the car and ran over and hugged her and thanked them profusely. I asked if I could pay for their time or the broken rope. "No, no. We were just helping. That is what neighbors do." Their motivation was purely out of my need for their help. All I could do was graciously accept their kindness. As we parted and said our goodbyes she said "Go. Now hurry so you can get to work on time." ARGH! I realized that the direction the car was facing made it appear that I was driving OUT rather than backing in. They thought I was late for work. I sheepishly explained that I was home from work, backing in, trying to avoid something like what had just happened. She wasn't phased. They happily headed home.

While the event was taking place I had to resist the urge to ask if I could take pictures of it. As much as I knew it would be great later, I knew that at the time it might come off as rude, insensitive, self absorbed--take your pick! So I didn't ask. But later, when I thought the appropriate amount of time had passed I grabbed my camera and took pics of the ruined snow. The first picture shows how far I missed my driveway. I wasn't even close. It looks like my goal was to end up in the middle of the yard. The next two pics show the area where my front tires were stuck.





A few weeks later, after the snow melted I was in my driveway and noticed some of the nylon rope that had snapped. I made a mental note to remember to pick it up later and promptly forget about it. Several days later I saw it again. Here:

A momma robin spotted it and thought it would make a nice, blue addition to her nest. It is kind of hard to see in the picture, but the blue streak hanging from the nest is the rope. It has been a daily, visible reminder of my neighbor's kindness.