Honor Thy Neighbor

Check it out -- my poor Vietnamese neighbor, I bet he didn't expect this when he applied for his Visa!

All the neighbors are out in full force this morning, the Vietnamese family, the Indian family, the Irish-Americans down the street, etc... The sounds of Toro snowblowers and ice scrapers trouble me awake but I did my duty late last evening to ease the burden today. With crust still baked into my lids I lift my bedroom blinds and find a gift better than anything I could get on Christmas day. My driveway is clean!

Tim, my neighbor to my left has a heart bigger than a snowdrift and again this season he's treating me to my first of many free driveway cleanings. At the crack of dawn Tim motors up his Sears special, directs the bucket thrower in the direction of his lawn and happily builds mountains for his kids to slide off. After all is finished on his side he ventures over to do the same for my driveway.

I'm a shoveler and that's fine. I have a grass pusher in the summer and I push snow with a wimpy shovel in the winter. It saves money, the environment and it's a great exercise regiment. Still, there are dozens of things I'd rather be doing and should be doing.

Happy Holidays Tim and family! Even though your outdoor holiday decorations, blinking like crazy in rhythm to Fa La La La La, give me a small seizure when I walk Rocco, your kindness and benevolence light up my world!