by Curt Kovener
Perhaps Thanksgiving is at the wrong part of the year.
After last Tuesday’s town council meeting, we slushed and mushed my way back to my old Howard Street address. Helping Mother up the steps I thought about shoveling the walk to get a leg up on making the task easier the next morning.
But the crinkling cellophane sound of frozen rain hitting the snow made me re-think. It would be easier to shovel ice crusted snow than try to chip solid ice from the concrete sidewalk.
So as we settled in for the evening, the only sound that could be heard was that of a motorized snowblade clearing ice and snow as town workers drove along town streets trying to make them more passible than what nature was leaving them.
And that was the same sound that woke me up Wednesday morning as the town pickup scraped more snow and ice from the street.
The streets weren’t entirely clear but then, neither were US 31 and I-65 I found out later in the morning. I am grateful for the seemingly all night work of town workers to make winter passage a bit easier.
Then as I made my way during the day I realized that but for benevolent farmers, many county roads would not have been cleared as quickly. I, and certainly all their neighbors, am grateful for their spirit of community and helping out when all they may get is a thank you like this.
And there were several heavily bundled guys on big & small tractors & ATV’s with snow blades who were out shortly after daylight clearing parking lots, neighbors’ driveways, and sidewalks.
I am grateful for their generosity to their community to make post winter storm life more tolerable. And I am sure they are grateful for insulated coveralls.
Prior to the much bally-hooed storm, there was the usual run on milk & bread. More milk & bread is sold before a winter storm than any other time, I believe. Even families who do not consume that much milk & bread in normal times stock up.
I have surmised that prior to a predicted winter storm it is the amateurs who go to the grocery to buy milk & bread. We professionals go to the liquor store.
And there is yet another thing for which I am grateful.
