Snow removal is done. Once again.

[MineralMan]

3.5" overnight was on the driveway and walks when I got up this AM. I just got back inside after snowblowing the shared, double-width driveway between our house and the neighbor's house (except for where the neighbor has her car parked. She didn't bother to get up and move it while I was running the snowblower). I blew off the city sidewalks for three houses and put everything away. Done. Neighbors up and down the street had done the sidewalks in front of houses near them, so only mine and my two neighbors were left uncleared when I got out there at 9:30 this morning. The whole job took less than an hour, as usual.

My neighborhood is definitely a working class family neighborhood, and not everyone can afford a snowblower, or snow thrower as they call them here in Minnesota. Those of us who have one pretty much all help out our neighbors with the chore. The younger families, though, generally get out there before I do and clear their own driveways, but we have a lot of elders on the block, too. Someone always does their driveways. Usually a next door neighbor.

I'm 72 years old now, but the snowblower handles most of the work, letting me just walk along behind it, more or less. I don't like shoveling snow any more, and minimize that part of the job as much as possible. I'm really glad to see my neighbors out helping their neighbors with this task. It gives me hope.

[Hortensis]

1. This hasn't changed all that much. When Irma dropped I think

6 trees on the roads in our little rural neighborhood in north Georgia, enormously overtaxed county crews cut a path through a large tree at the entry to the neighborhood and moved on. As soon as the storm passed, some of us who lived there got out the chainsaws, heavy gloves, and my husband's little tractor and cleared the rest. Later, the county came and removed the debris we'd piles at the sides of the roads.

Your neighborhood, ours, and many thousands of others.

I suspect the notion that people don't do this any more comes from very urbanized areas, where services usually make it unnecessary and also where many jobs left undone are often just too large, technically involved, and/or dangerous for a few neighbors to take on. But there too people are knocking on neighbors' doors to see how they're doing.

One characteristic conservative and liberal personalities have in common is altruism, in various degrees of course. Libertarians characteristically tend to lack it, a big part of being them, but fortunately they're a small percentage, maybe around 13%.

[MineralMan]

3. I agree. There are always people who come out when needed,

bring their tools, and get to work when stuff happens. I live in the City of St. Paul. They plow the streets, sort of, but that's it. The neighborhoods are on their own to do the rest of the snow removal. So, folks do it, and help their neighbors who can't handle the work. You're right. We do that kind of thing in this country. At least, there are some who do.

I've used my chainsaw on fallen branches, too. It's just the neighborly thing to do, really.

[Hortensis]

5. :) I do wonder about aging communities that are losing

younger generations who have to leave to find good jobs. By definition, a things must get a lot harder to maintain there, more need, fewer strong arms, dwindling tax base and fewer services. But for sure they're helping each other.

[NCTraveler]

2. Love to hear this.

Some of the things I saw in the Tampa Bay area after the hurricane were great. Our neighbors started meandering outside once somewhat safe to do so. We inventoried those we knew in the neighborhood and those we thought might need help. We just kind of looked at their houses and knocked on their doors to make sure there wasn't huge damage and that needs were being met.

I was down for the longest when it came to electricity. Many of them didn't lose theirs. A tree fell on my line and I was over ten days without. While a bit frustrating, I was never concerned. A neighbor have me their generator and I had to ask people to stop bringing me food. I felt like the local pastor as I had multiple nightly invites to neighbors for dinner during that time. I'm sure the fact that my child was only six months old made a difference.

[MineralMan]

4. I'm glad to hear about your helpful neighbors.

I like to mention such stories. We all need a little boost from the negative stuff that seems to be everywhere. The truth is that neighbors help each other in most places when they can. Not all, but enough to get most things handled.