Cold. Blizzardy. Neighbors. Good Place.

 Ok. It is officially Brrrr Out.

-11F is the outside temperature and on the ridge the 14mph winds are causing it to feel like -30 according to the weather app.

However! It sure was an adventurous time here on the ridge. 

Our first snowfall on Tuesday was 10 inches. Our second snowfall from Thursday night to late Friday night was 13 inches. 

My neighbor texted me early to ask if I knew of anyone who could pull his truck out of the ditch up by Riley Road and the Gilbertson Cattle Gate. I texted him back with names of other farm neighbors who had large tractors and front end loaders. One of them is also our township plow guy.

My neighbor was coming home Friday night and hit a huge drift and it sucked his large truck into the ditch. He walked home in the blizzard, got his 4 wheeler and was able to get his family's groceries and his work computer out of this truck and bring it home.

The end of the story is fascinating too. Saturday while he was out there digging out his truck, another fellow with a huge front end loader stopped by and helped him out. People helping people in a rural community with no expectations of money in exchange for assistance.

Here is a photo of our driveway before it got plowed. 

The driveway is in there and it is windblown. Frank came just before noon and deftly made quick work of it while I was on the ridge with Olive trying to make a sledding path.

Even with snow shoes on and dragging a sled with a child in it was an exercise in futility. The snow was soft and fluffy and we sank. The photo below is the trail of us just trying to get to a sledding spot.

Much to Aiden's disappointment, we gave up and decided to go to her house for a cup of decafe coffee.

There she is crossing the ridge below me heading for her house in the far distance. I was at the top of the hill on the ridge gathering my snowshoes and sled.

All this wide open space creates places for snow drifts when the winds blow. In places I walked even with snow shoes, I found myself nearly hip deep in snow. 

We had coffee and conversation and then I walked on the road to home. It was plowed and I was not in the mood to break trail through the woods.

I was going to save that for another day.

When I got home, I discovered that Frank had used his plow to make a path for me around part of the house. He obviously saw where I had been shoveling. He pushed the biggest piles of snow out of my way.

Again. 

How grateful can I be for good people? Indeed, a stranger helped my new neighbor, Frank and his magic plow looked after us, and all of us on this dead end road texted each other to make sure we are all okay.

I still like winter. If it warms up to closer to zero, I will probably go out and go for a walk. Dressed appropriately of course.