The street was alive with movement. People were shoveling, kids were playing and cars were moving back and forth. Every now and then, a snow plow would come by and add to the mountain of snow piled in the Sack's centre circle.
It was a sunny morning, but still quite cold. With all the activity and the beauty of the snow, it was like a winter wonderland.
I could still do without the shoveling, though.
***
Big Doug was not the first person to finish shoveling today. This was a very big surprise.
By five-thirty in the morning, Rental Doug had neatly shoveled his driveway and drove off in his car. Oscar says only someone doing the devil's business would be up at such an hour on a Saturday.
Big Doug was the second person to start shoveling. He started at about eight o'clock and spent almost the entire morning shoveling. It was almost like he was savouring every moment.
By the time he had finished, the snow banks had clean, even lines. Big Doug's two vehicles were gleaming in the sun. There wasn't a drop of snow left on them.
It was a masterful job.
***
As usual, Gordon was the second person to start shoveling. When Big Doug starts shoveling, Gordon will make an appearance within minutes.
Within the hour, almost everyone else was outside shoveling. Conspicuous by his absence was Oscar. His wife, G.W. was shoveling their driveway, with some reluctant help from their son, Dorian.
Oscar eventually arrived by car. Apparently, he had left the car somewhere else last night because of the road conditions. He arrived with a several trays of coffee from the local donut emporium.
Oscar told me he took his "sweet time" getting back. He was hoping G.W. and Dorian would be finished by the time he got back. Unfortunately, they were only half finished. Oscar thinks they worked slowly on purpose, so he would still have to shovel.
Oscar is a big fan of letting snow melt.
***
Over hot coffee, I took a break to catch up with Oscar. He was in no hurry to start shoveling. Besides that, he wanted to tell me some very interesting news.
There is another pregnancy in the Sack.
It's the second news of a pregnancy in the last three weeks. Britney Bitterman, of course, is in a family way, courtesy of a local hood named Maxwell.
This time, the mother to be is rumoured to be Little Doug's daughter, Daisy. That's right, Weed is going to be a father.
***
This news, according to Oscar, is still not confirmed, but he thinks it's probably true.
It would certainly explain why Weed has suddenly taken to working for a call centre.
***
Sack kids made a bee-line to the mountain of snow in the Sack's centre circle.
A crudely constructed snow fort soon appeared at the top of the mountain. This became Snowball Central for the balance of the day. Dorian, Tremayne and Jimbo were tucked inside the tower taking aim at anyone within striking distance.
Young Doo was released from his home later than the other kids. Florence tells me he had been grounded by his mother for painting something that didn't need painting.
He made straight for the tower and was immediately pelted by snowballs. Undeterred, he made straight for the top again. This time, the other kids let him get to the top before pushing him back down the slope. They did this about three times before they let him in.
The mountain of snow made it very easy to touch the branches of the surrounding trees. Within minutes of making it to the top of Snow Central, Doo had broken his third Sack tree branch.
***
When confronted by several Sack adults, including Gordon, Doo claimed that he'd had the best of intentions. He said he wanted to use a branch for a flag pole at the top of the mountain.
Regrettably, Doo had a lot of trouble pronouncing "flag pole." There was a bit of a misunderstanding with Gordon about this. Fortunately, I was able to act as an interpreter on Doo's behalf.
Given everyone's cheery mood and the energy boost that comes from shoveling, Doo was let off with another stern lecture. He promised he would never "bake" another "banch."
It was his most convincing pledge since the last time he swore never to break another branch.
***
Computer Doug eventually appeared. Everyone else, including his wife, had been shoveling for well over an hour.
He walked down his newly-shoveled steps and surveyed the snow-covered landscape. He shook his head a few times and then frowned. Finally, he picked up a shovel and began to work.
About five minutes later, he stopped working and looked over at me.
"Well," he said, as he leaned on his shovel, "the novelty of snow has officially worn off."
***
The reconstruction of Burning Manor has probably been set back again. There is a lot of accumulated snow on the half-finished frame. There were also very high winds last night and it looks like a portion of the back wall has been loosened.
The construction crew will undoubtedly get things back on track. When Burning Manor officially reopens, it will surely become a steady source of shenanigans.
In the meantime, there is no shortage of surprising things going on in this snow-filled little cul de sac.
But I could still do without the shoveling.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment