New Year's Eve

Yesterday, I finally got the new furnace installed, after eight days with no heat.

On the night before Christmas Eve, we'd had a lot of snow. Then, during the day on the 24th, it started to rain. I'd already got the driveway cleared and then the plow went by -- twice. I was digging out from that before it had a chance to freeze when, around the corner came a young man (late teens, maybe) running with a shovel in his hand. He knew me from my work at the convenience store but hadn't realised I lived so close. He wouldn't accept any payment for his help.

He also told me about the local people with snowblowers clearing the sidewalks. I had initially been impressed by the speed with which our sidewalks were cleared -- except that the 'walls' of snow were neatly cut verticals, not pushed clumps like a sidewalk plow would do. Turns out, there's a blind woman in the neighbourhood who likes to go for walks. I'd seen her a couple of times in the summer. Each owner of a snowblower clears the sidewalk as far as the next house with a snowblower, so that she can get around without difficulty. These are the kind of people who live in my new neighbourhood.

At the convenience store, I'm continually impressed by the young people who get change back and immediately ask where our "charity box" is.

Now, I'm off to bed, so that I can be alert for work tonight. It should prove interesting.

I wish all of my readers (both of you) the best for 2009, with love from the Sonneteer.