Not as helpful as one might hope

Since we may get a total of 11 inches of snow by Wednesday, and since the vacuum cleaner needs to be taken in for repairs, and since I had not shovelled the driveway after any of the last three one- to two-inch snowfalls we've had, I went out to clear off the old snow and the two inches from last night before any more landed there. When I first arrived with my shovel, I thought that our neighbors to the south (often known as the "dog neighbors" because they have five rescue dogs, all extremely cute) had kindly used their snow-blower to clear about half the driveway. Closer examination, however, revealed a huge tire track, as of a large truck, in the remaining show; and also a wall of compacted snow with the telltale marks of a plow blade in it. This wall was shoved up against the already-hefty snowbank on the north side of the driveway, so that it obstructed part of the garage door and obtruded about a foot onto the drive itself. Our garage space is limited and our driveway is very wide and very short; there is not a lot of maneuvering room in the situation.

So instead of being able to shovel and toss soft, light snow off the driveway, I had to chop off chunks of compacted snow and then either heave them higher than my head or else carry them to the other side of the driveway and heave them a shorter vertical distance. Nobody on our alley has a truck with a plow blade, as far as I can recall. I have no idea what whoever did that was thinking. Possibly nothing. Maybe alcohol was involved. Unfortunately, I don't think a sign saying, "Please do not plow this driveway; it will make things worse" is likely to have much effect.

P.