February 15, 2007

Fair and Balanced

So I've talked shit about my neighborhood for a little while now. But I feel I have to counter with positive things that are happening here too. To keep it fair and balanced.

I just came home from an interview (in black suit, winter jacket and tennis shoes) and optimitistically stopped at a hardware store to pick up a shovel and some de-icing salt. Now, I am getting pretty broke so I chose the smallest shovel and a few pounds of salt.

I get home, hoping to de-ice the thick layers that have solidified on our steep stairs (imagine me holding onto the railing with dear life every morning for work). Well, it seems like optimism got the better of me. No sooner had I finished sprinkling the stairs, that I run out of salt and notice that I haven't bought enough after all. I feel like I used table salt because I barely managed to make a dent in the ice.

I start using my trusty shovel but not amount of shoveling will budge that rock-like ice. Then I really start madly hitting the surface with the sharp sides of the shovel and soon enough, ice sprays are flying around my deranged face. I feel like Glen Close with her rabbit in the movie Fatal Attraction. After all that panting, I am ready to cry: very little has been dislodged.

Then some neighborhood kids run up to me and say "Miss, miss, can we do that for you?". A little taken aback, I say "well sure but let me check whether I have cash to give you". They respond "well that's alright, we'll still start shoveling". In a matter of minutes, the kids start discuss the problem, and get the stairs cleared in no time. I really can't afford to be spending any money right now, but they were so efficient and willing to help that I gave them $10. And took a picture too.



View from my window. The kids are discussing how to approach the problem

Still, I'm convinced they managed to shovel quickly because I "loosened" the ice.

6 comments:

RL said...

Hi
I've linked back
Thanks

Anonymous said...

You shouldn't have mentioned payment, maybe they wanted to do it for free! :)
-Ammo

Bhalla saab said...

hi 007,
Mind exchanging links with a fellow blogger? I'm hosted at http://thefunhunt.blogspot.com. Do check out my blog and let me know if you are interested.
Thanks

Beaver said...

Reminds me of the ordeal of getting the car out of the snow and ice way back when I still owned a crappy and degraded '91 Corolla.

I was usually blessed with helpful neighbours who boosted my battery or helped push the car out.

There's something about snow and ice - seems to bring out the best in people.

Cheers to you from Dusty Ahmedabad.

007 in Africa said...

Bhalla Saab, I will try to update my links in the next few days.

Beaver, you comment about snow and ice bringing "the best in people" made me laugh. Is that why Canadians are so pleasant? In that case, we would need more snow and ice in the US!

Unknown said...

Living in Canada i know ALL about snow ... thank god i live in a condo and dont actually have to shovel myself lol...