OT. It's the thought that counts!

After 40+years and winters snows, my son was plowing again when the neighbor comes up the drive with a gift card for my son who plows out our road so we can get emergency vehicle's up here on the dead end lake road. Never in the 40 years we lived her has any one ever said thanks. He kind of restored our faith in humanity.Plowing out the road is NOT OUR responsibility.No one has ever come forward to say thanks,/kiss my grits nothing.So far we have had over 5 ft of snow and still coming down lightly. All in all, there are people who appreciates . JMHO LOU.

Very Nice

LOU,
I plow my neighbor's drive. She is close to 90. Lived next to her for 46 years now. She always calls and thanks the "snow angle" for cleaning her drive. Never charged her a dime. She knows her money is no good. However she pays me with cookies and sometimes some good homemade soup. I like working for food.
George

I've plowed my neighbor's sidewalk for a number of years when we have a lot of snow and he gave me
a 12 volt Lithium kit from Sears that has a nice light, drill, saw, plus two batteries and charging station several years ago. Very handy items. The rest of them don't even thank you, so I've cut back, I'll soon be 81. Hal

good to hear, I plow out 5 neighbors, 2 look out window and wave, to me that is a thank you, others never acknowledge I am there. Started to cut them out of plowing, thought about it, thats not who I am or how I was raised. Going to keep doing it and response or lack of it is out of my hands

MarkWV,
It's been out of our hands for 40 years, but a nod and a wave would at least show some appreciation. We have done this for all that time and today it just finally shows up for a little gratitude from new neighbors(less than 2 yrs here). All the other residents think of it as being our responsibility to maintain the road.Our local township MAY show up from 1 day to a week later after a heavy snow,if they feel like it.Today they took my daughters mailbox out with the plow,she called and their excuse was the mailbox was on the blacktop and too low. The mail person told her this spring the mailbox was too high for her to reach.Suppose to have a hydraulic cylinder on it to please them both.lol. The mailbox is off the blacktop by at least 18" on the berm,and snow was plowed around it by my son,so no reason to hit it with the wing, rather than they must be angry,or didn't like the color of the box.Thanks for the reply,
Regards,
LOU

When ever we have snows I have always made sure that any neighbor's drive that needed it, was cleared. I do not worry about whether they thank me or not. I am doing it for me. I want to treat others how I want to be treated. I am the only on that can control that.

Lou: You and your son are kind of doing the same thing. Just watching out for your fellow man.

Good job!!!!

El Toro,
I'm 79 going on eighty in July, still can't stand inconsiderate mouthy ignorant people.Not talking about you,but who we happen to be blessed with around here.
We upgraded from a manual turn plow on a Dodge, to a all power Pro plow about 15 yrs ago on a rebuilt Ford.They must think gas, mechanical parts and upkeep is free,thats what it appears to me.I like to be able to get emergency vehicle into here just in case of an emergency.Oh well, life goes on.lol.
Thanks for the reply,
Regards,LOU

George Marsh,
We done the same thing for an elderly couple across the lake from us, she was in her 90's and he was incapacitated. He passed on and we done it til she moved,money was never an issue with her,we always got Christmas cookies and coffee when we plowed.She is still alive and reached 100+yrs old, just received a Xmas card from her,Bless her heart. I like helping People, just don't like demanding SOB's,that think the world owes them a living.
Thanks for the reply,
Regards,
LOU

Neighbor lady baked me a real nice cake & brought it over for plowing out her drive. All of my neighbors are good to me, so I can't complain.

Had to do some dirt work at my business in town years ago. Loaded up the 51 WD and blade and took in. Old mam come by and ask if I would smooth up some dirt in his yard from a new sewer line. Lived about two blocks away. That old man told me about 5 times how good that WD sounded. He must of had one when he was on the farm.

Up where my folk's lived the local well driller got pis---ed off when they popped his mail box one too many times. Yup he put in a piece of field water well type steel case!! Filled it with concrete. YUP, the next winter it bent the crap out of the county truck plow and frame. I don't remember if insurance covered it but all kinds of screaming and court stuff went on.

I plow the neighbor ladies drive and get her mail for her on the those days. She has never asked me to do it, I just do because she can't and it makes me feel good helping her out. I got some fresh made peanut brittle the other day! MMMMMM-Good. John

In a way it's sad that people can't say thanks. I blow at least 4 other drives and drive over 12 miles with a 100 plus HP tractor every time it snows. I no more than get home these folks, all 4 will call and tell me thanks and keep insisting that they owe me. I never try to collect but know that if I needed help they would at least try. I did do one woman's drive a couple of years when I had time. Long drive and she started the 2nd year being demanding. She knew I would get to her time permitting. The 2nd years she started calling me at 5:00AM wanting her drive cleared right now. I still did it when I got to it, normally around 1PM. The 3rd year I just told her I wasn't doing it. Funny thing is last year she ask me if I would do some brush cutting. I know she can afford to pay so I told her 50 an hour with a one hour minimum, and it would be several weeks before I could get to it. I was shocked when she accepted. I got here (1/4 mile away) and she kept wanting me to do and more. Worked out to 4 hours and she paid cash and tipped me 20 bucks.

I don't mind helping people out but I ain't a slave. And they could at least say thanks.

Rick

I have some good neighbors too. Lakeshore properties, a few full-timers & a lot of week-enders.
During the summer I mow the ditch across the road, in winter take care of snow, also keep an eye on cabins when owners aren't here & call if I see a problem. Long story short, they all show their appreciation around this time of year by bringing home made cookies, gift cards, fill my gas cans, even some cash.
I'm only 73 now, but know that when I get old & frail, they will all chip in & help me out. Just a super group of people.
Willie

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for "...then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

(I try Hard to consider the above, but sometimes I still find myself looking for my rewards here on earth...)

one good neighbor makes it worth it

I can't drive by when I see someone older struggling with snow.
even one quick pass will help them out.
Funny how the ones that can least afford it are the ones that offer payment. Unless it's cookies or whatnot, I decline.
Old neighbors, I tell 'I don't take money from friends or family and I consider you both'

opposite problem where I grew up out in the sticks.
Fierce old guys that took no charity and were born with a do it myself gene.
Still, on my way to work, one quick sideways pass across the end of their driveway to get rid of the tough stuff didn't get me in too much trouble

I used to plow our road,but I would get calls that people needed to get out at 5 am and needed the road clear.They also expected me to clear there driveways.In the spring they would complain because there was a little gravel in there grass when a snow pile melted.My insurance man said I should have commercial
insurance if I was going to push snow.My farm insurance does not cover pushing snow off my property.

I used to plow for all the neighbors around and still do for a couple. I do have one however that does not live at the house he has near me as he bought it for a vacation home. Mind you I live out in the country and he lives in town about 45 minutes away. I used to do his everytime it would snow just like I would the others and then would call him to let him know it was done and that I had done it so that it would look like someone was there. He always thanked me and that was that. Then about 2 years ago he called me accusing me of "having a winter wood pile that was too big and trying to say that I must have been cutting down all the big $ trees in his woods". I just laughed and told him that could not be further from the truth as I had not even set foot in his woods in a couple of years. (Remember he is a cidiot!) Didn't bother me too much just kind of chuckled and blew it off until a few months later when talking to another neighbor who informed me that the other guy had questioned him about my woodpile and wanted to know if he had seen me out in his woods cutting down his trees. My first problem is that anyone with half a brain could walk into the woods and see if anything had been cut within the past couple of years, also why accuse me of stealing your trees for firewood when you don't own the only trees in the state! Have never plowed his drive since and if I do I will probably push it from the back to road and leave it all at the end so he can shovel it out of his way just to get off the road! One more thing, his place was broken into twice last winter after big snow storms, my guess would be that theives could see no tracks and knew no one was around. In my opinion it serves him right for accusing an honest guy who was just trying to be nice and do you a favor of doing something that you had no idea about!!!

I am pretty sure it's illegal to put an immovable object on the right-of-way, remember, you don't own the roadside! Our County (Beltrami) will come out and put up a nice swing-a-way mailbox post for about $70. A good solution!

I used to spray crops and pulled the sprayer on a trailer behind a truck with a 3000 gallon water tank.

Some jerk had his mailbox too near the road on a state highway. He musta got sick of it being hit, so he poured a 5 gallon bucket full of concrete and stuck a 2 inch well pipe in it in FRONT of the mailbox. You know, instead of just backing the box a foot away from the road. One afternoon, i was going by and was crowded into that post by oncoming traffic. Of course, I didn't know about the 5 gallons of cement in the ground. The trailer is very stout and it rolled that bucket right outta the ground! The well pipe hit the mailbox like a baseball bat so hard it shot past the cab of the straight truck! I was shocked, but then laughed my butt off. He set the box back after that...

I would have LOVED to seen his face when he came home to that mess.