The forecasters were both right and wrong:
it did snow.
We woke yesterday morning to discover
8" of pristine powdery crystals
but no blizzardy winds came through.
We waited and waited for the convicts* to show up
but they never came.
What?! "Convicts??" you ask...
Not to worry.
Our town's sheriff's department enlists a crew
of able bodied men serving time in the county jail
to shovel snow for citizens on disability, and
lucky for us
we share a driveway
a very loooonnng, steep driveway
with a woman who qualifies.
We are thrilled when the guys in orange jumpsuits show up
and my sister always takes some sort of goodies out to them.
It's rare when it isn't something she baked herself.
On the rare occasion we aren't looking to share
her cakes or cookies
she'll take some chocolate out to them.
We are never without plenty of chocolate to share.
Usually they appear soon after the snow stops.
But not yesterday...
so, the young man who lives in one house over
who also shares the driveway
pulled out his almost-always-broken snowblower
and did the job late in the day.
I'm sure the boys in orange jumps suits
and their guards
will be disappointed when they finally
get to our neighborhood today...
P.S. Yes, that is a pink bench underneath the snow.
Actually, it's thick oak strips were painted
pink and yellow by its original owner.
My sister spied it at a junk shop many, many years ago
and fell in love with it.
It was very old back then.
It's made of thick oak strips and wrought iron.
The neighbor's cat likes to sleep on it
when it is warmed by the sun.
It's begun listing to one side...
i'll be very sad when it finally
collapses.
*my sister thinks it's rude of me
to call them convicts...
but they are, aren't they?
