Day 6: Shoveling Snow, And A Proposal

You can say I cheated if you like, but I'm pretty sure that digging my car out of over a foot and a half of snow and ice was well harder than a walk today.  I completely wore myself out doing it (and am wondering why in the world I did do it), so no walk today.  Considering that it took me a good two hours, and my hands and legs are a bit shaky all the rest of the day, I think I got my exercise.

There's something very camaraderatic (that's my new word for 'like camaraderie') about shoveling snow.  I decided to make an effort with my car, but I didn't have a snow shovel, so I met about four of my neighbours in looking for one.  Met a lovely old lady named Betty who thanked me for stopping by as it encouraged her to get out for the day.  (Yes!!! Someone else walking in all weathers!)  Met an older couple who moaned and groaned about the local council and their inability to come get the bins in snow (cheerful moaning though, if you know what I mean, and they were shoveling snow while they did it).  An old man who let me borrow his shovel (did the trick amazingly well, thanks Mr Man At Number 1!).  And finally, another older man who cheerfully shoveled away whilst I did, and after about a half hour of me shoveling the road out of the estate, stopped and asked, "Are you married?"

I wondered what this had to do with me shoveling snow, but I said, "No," and he shook his head as if to say, what were the men about, and I said, "Do you think I'd be out here doing this on my own if I was?" and he laughed.  We shoveled on together, me picking ice with the edge of the shovel and scooping away.  A few minutes later he says, "I bet you can cook, too."  "Oh aye!"  He laughs.  More shoveling. Stab, stab, shooonk.  (Those are the sounds I was making with my borrowed shovel.)  "And I obviously can clean!"  He shook his head, still wondering.  "Well," he said finally, "you must have a weakness somewhere."  I thought about it (running over in my head all the weaknesses that I know of, for they are legion), and came out with, "Well, I'm stubborn as a rock."  He wouldn't let me away with that one.  "That's all of us, dearie."  Stab, stab, shooonk. 

"Well," he finally said, leaning on his shovel, "if I wasn't married already I'd marry you myself!"

So, a very productive day as you can see.  I still don't know the guy's name, but he's there for me if anything happens to his wife!