Snow loader

Even with the heavier duty snow blower (or snow thrower, as they say here), the piles along the drive were getting absurd. So we were happy to have a call from Rich asking if we wanted help. I'll let Tom tell it:

The mounds on either side of the driveway by my garage are now well over my head, and the mounds at the end of the driveway are high enough that it won't be long before we are going to have to drive into Berry Road on a prayer, because we won't be able to see anything, even with the fact that our driveway is a couple of feet higher than the road at that point.

Along the length of the driveway, where I can use the snowblower, things are better, of course. The snowblower throws the snow twenty feet or so, and the snow doesn't mound up the way it does on either end.

My neighbors across the road are in worse shape. Rich has an old pickup with a plow, and he literally has no place left to put snow. Driving into his place is like driving into the Red Sea during the parting, except that the walls are snow, not water.

Rich is bringing in a fellow he knows with a Skidster today to move the mounds away from his driveway and give him room to plow for the next snowfall, which is predicted for the weekend.

Rich called last night to ask if I wanted to have Skidster Guy over this morning to move my mounds out of the way, while he was at it. I jumped at the idea, of course. So Skidster Guy is expected about 10 this morning. I'll contribute to the cost, of course, but I'm glad to have Rich as a neighbor. He is a thoughtful neighbor.

The fellow is here as I write, lifting and shoving snow out into the yard and away from the worst mounds. That's a photo of the little Cat loader model that he is using.

Eventually it will melt ...