It’s snowing again. What purports to be our front yard is currently a pile of snow so tall that shovelling more snow on top of it causes mini-avalanches either back onto the shoveller or over the top and down the other side. Across from our driveway, a snow pile significantly bigger than our minivan looms ominously. To leave home in the car, I have to do a sort of backwards three-point turn, using the snow mountain as a semi-soft reminder of how far I can go – though our recent thaw-freeze cycle means that the snow is a little more compacted and a whole lot harder than it was a week ago. Our street was due for snow clearing *before* the last big dump, but each major snow storm sees the city scrambling to remove snow from the bigger roads while our little residential street slowly subsides under the white stuff.
As I leave my house to walk to a massage appointment, neighbours are already out clearing their driveways. Glenn pauses to greet me, teasing, “Here I thought you were coming out to shovel, but I suppose you’ve got teenagers for that.”
“Ha! They’re only any good if you can wait until mid-afternoon for the driveway to be cleared.” I laugh. Then I realize that Glenn is shovelling Mario’s driveway – and Mario is maybe snow blowing Glenn’s driveway? Unclear. And a guy from the halfway house – someone I haven’t met yet – is obviously helping Glenn.
“Did you all get confused about who lives where?” Everyone laughs, and we banter for a moment before I head on my way, grinning at the way our neighbourhood functions.
***
The massage therapist has a 7-month old and updates me on all the recent developments – he’s rolling both ways now, and he’ll be crawling any day now. I tell him (the father, not the baby) about my own children, and we marvel at the changes in our lives since I started seeing him a few years ago.
After the appointment, we’re still chatting while I put on my coat and boots, and his next client arrives. “I thought I recognized that voice!” she laughs, and I turn around to see a former colleague. Since I last saw her, she moved away and back, had a baby, turned 40. Social media has let us keep up a little, but here in the little office, we greet each other again.
***
And now I’m home, starting my 8th year of participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge. I have already read a few blog posts from friends (though I’ve never met them in person). I write knowing that some of my friends from as far back as elementary school will read my posts, and we’ll reach out and catch up a little. I’m anticipating a month full of moments where we’re all shovelling each other’s virtual driveways and running into each other in the comments section. Once again, I’m looking forward to this community we create with words.
With many thanks to the team at Two Writing Teachers for growing and preserving this community.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
I was looking forward to your post, Amanda. Your writing always leaves me feeling so inspired and happy!
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What a lovely thing to say! Thank you
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Amanda,
I’d gladly come shovel the real snow if I get to malinger for the next three years and eleven months! But I guess I’ll need to be content w/ virtual meetups. I do imagine you having a southern accent that’s easy to identify in public. Glad you’re here, friend. My heart feels better now. 🥰
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I do, indeed, have a Southern accent – I’m pretty easy to pick out up here in the frozen north 😉
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I love how you brought it back around to the shoveling – This line: “I’m anticipating a month full of moments where we’re all shovelling each other’s virtual driveways ” is just beautiful. So true. Happy March!
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Happy March to you, too! Here we go!
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I am so sorry about all that snow but your comments about the neighbors, friends, and even the massage therapist interacting and sharing stories is a parallel to this virtual community where I love to see familiar names and “catch up” so to speak. That is why I am back.
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Keeps me coming back every year!
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The weaving of the different narratives gives a really great sense of a beginning of a novel. All three (I have delineated the plot into 3) all leave the reader wondering about each interaction and character. This makes for a first slice that supports a journey coming. The snow a poignant metaphor (avalanche, who is clearing who’s driveway) the back and forth feel of writing and commenting; our blogs all interconnecting our thought driveways.
Looking forward to reading your next entry!
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Excited to see you here again! Your posts and comments always inspired me to keep going when it felt hard and to think about small moments of my day with a different lens. What a lovely running-in with your old colleague!
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“Our street was due for snow clearing *before* the last big dump, but each major snow storm sees the city scrambling to remove snow from the bigger roads while our little residential street slowly subsides under the white stuff.”
I am right now living a grading version of the plowers situation.
Really love your descriptions. They take me back to a snow-filled childhood in Maine.
It sounds like you live in a cool neighborhood.
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I loved your description of the neighbors helping each other with the snow–that’s such a special part of winter–but then when I got to your line, “I’m anticipating a month full of moments where we’re all shovelling each other’s virtual driveways and running into each other in the comments section. “, I loved your piece even more. You wove that initial story into such a beautiful metaphor! I’m looking forward to running into you in the neighborhood often this month!
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I love how your community has come together. So much snow! That’s unbelievable! I love how you brought it all back at the end: I’m anticipating a month full of moments where we’re all shovelling each other’s virtual driveways and running into each other in the comments section.
So true! So glad you’re here. I’ve missed you!
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The snow! It never ends. I’m visiting in Sault Ste Marie and I swear I’ve never seen this much snow in one place before.
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I love the connections between shovelling snow and virtual driveways! It’s something I’ll never have to do (thankfully) but then I will never get to make those connections in the same way. It’s also my eighth year of slicing!
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What a fantastic metaphor for our community here every March! I love the image of shoveling each other’s driveways and running into each other in the comments!
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You have written a perfect metaphor for this community and this month’s challenge! I can’t even imagine that much snow!
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So glad to see/hear/read you again! It’s been a minute. Yes, let’s shovel each others’ virtual driveways. As usual, your writing brings a reader in, invites them to feel right at home.
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