Karissa and I have loved our neighborhood from the moment we moved in.  Today was one more reminder of why.  After getting along great in the snow with our van the last week or so, today’s melt became a problem.  We went from having compact snow and ice in our cul-de-sac to 8 inches of slushy swamp.  In fact, our little neighborhood claimed more abandoned vehicles today than in the past two weeks of this snow combined.  This afternoon when Karissa wanted to head to the mall, we became one of these victims.  Luckily we didn’t get very far, we were simply in the middle of our cul-de-sac.  To our rescue came our next door neighbor and his son.  With a little shovel here and an extra nudge there we made it safely to the side of the road.  However, once we got our van out of the way, four of us neighbors got our shovels out and began to clear the gutters to get the water flowing down into the sewers for our entire cul-de-sac.  If you have not done this, this is not only a great neighborhood team builder, but it is vital to help make sure nothing gets flooded while all this snow melts away.  Once again, I am feeling quite grateful for our neighbors.  Not only did my neighbor help get our van unstuck, but his wife graciously offered to take Karissa, Rylee, Audrey, and Mackenna to the mall (in their 4×4).  Lift a glass with me to  good neighbors, safe travels, and no flooding in your crawlspace and mine!

-Chris