Up and out the door before 8:00
\nbefore I have even un-cricked my fingers
\nI slip into my husband’s snowpants and boots
\nand bundle up to shovel some snow
\nmy husband helps to clear the end a little
\nwhere the snowplow has pushed in the heavy stuff
\nthen he is off to work
\nnow
\nit’s just me
\nand the dog
\nover to the neighbour’s house first
\nwe set to work, clearing
\nwell I say we, \u00a0my partner is Ted (my dog)
\nhe instantly picks his spot to lay down
\nand just keep me company
\nas I go
\nwhen I am nearing the top of the drive
\nmy neighbour comes out for a brief chat
\nI ask how she is doing, and if her son
\nwill be coming for Christmas
\nwe chat about the weather, then I shoo her back indoors
\nas she doesn’t like me to have to do all this work
\nand at 85, I don’t want her doing any of it
\nonce back across the street, Ted and I
\nbegin at the house beside us
\nI do her front walk, and then my front walk
\nTed lays down
\nI do part of her drive
\nthen part of my drive,
\nstop for a brief chat with a man from down the street
\nwho’s just moved in
\nthen Ted’s had enough of this shoveling business
\nand decides he’s going in
\nnow that I have stopped for a minute
\nit’s harder to get going again
\nbefore I am even half done the driveway
\nof the lady next door
\nI feel myself running out of steam
\nI can push, but now I can barely lift
\nmaybe I’ll just do half
\nI start to grumble to myself
\nshe has kids, who are adults, and grandchildren
\nthey come to see her, \u00a0take her for groceries
\nthey all drive, aren’t that far away,
\nbut
\nthey never shovel,
\nnever have …
\nmy shovel digs into a rut, \u00a0and I am jolted
\nthat’s it, \u00a0I can’t finish, I grumble
\nthen I stop, for a breath
\nlean on my shovel
\nlook up at the trees
\nlisten to the little chickadee singing me his song
\nchickadee-dee-dee
\na small flock of geese fly over
\ncalling their chorus
\nI smile, and carry on
\nwhen I am almost finished my neighbour
\npops her head out
\nI check to see she is doing ok
\ntake her garbage out
\nshe thanks me again, \u00a0as she always does
\nand I say,
\nit’s no problem
\nand then I go back
\nto finish my own
\nTed returns to join me
\nmy moral support
\nthe tiniest second wind
\nspurs me on
\nand I finish up
\nwe go collect some fresh birdseed
\nfor the feeders
\nthen Ted and I are ready
\nto go in
\ntaking off everything I have now sweat through
\nI return to the comfort of
\nmy jammies
\ngrab my morning coffee
\na homemade chocolate chip cookie
\nand sink into
\nmy chair
\nit’s now 10:15
\nI think, \u00a0I’ve earned it<\/p>\n
from my chair
\nby the window
\nthe snow
\nand the world
\nlook quiet lovely
\ntoday \u2665<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Up and out the door before 8:00 before I have even un-cricked my fingers I slip into my husband’s snowpants and boots and bundle up to shovel some snow my husband helps to clear the end a little where the…
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