Brothers and Sisters of the Berm

Brothers and Sisters of the Berm

Contributed by John Nabors

It’s winter. Snow is a given here in the north country. Driveways and sidewalks need to be cleared, either with a snowblower or a shovel. You do the work to your satisfaction and go into your house to warm up and relax. Then you hear that sound! THE PLOWS!

You go to your window, look out and see the big road grader as it makes the first pass down your side of the block, leaving behind a wall of snow and ice from all down the street, right across your freshly cleaned drive. All you can do is watch and wait. There will be a second pass.

The second pass will increase the width of the gift of the plows to three to four feet and anywhere from 6 to 12 inches tall. Will there be a third pass? Sometimes. So, you wait half an hour or so. Then comes the time to glove up and put on your heavy coat and hat. The lucky people have a 4-wheeler with a plow attached, or a snowblower.

Then there are the less fortunate members of our “Berm Society,” who only have a shovel. Some folks have a kind neighbor who will clear the berm for you or at least help. Those of us who only have a shovel or snowblower need to have a supply of pain relievers on hand for the aftermath: back pain, knee pain, and even pain in your chilled hands.

There was a time when the plows would drop the wing at people’s cleared driveways and move the detritus from up the street to the sides instead of in front of your drive. That stopped with the rising cost of fuel. Stopping and dropping the wing was too cost heavy. Okay, I get that.

For a while a Muni pickup truck, with a plow attached, would follow and clear the berm. That became a rare occurrence. Also, if you were a senior, you could call the Municipality to send the pickup to your address to clear your berm. No more.

So be resolved to have a sore back and chilled hands, no matter how good your gloves are. The age of service to the community has been relegated to a line on a budget spreadsheet. Indifference appears to be the hallmarks of Muni bureaucracy. It’s how the world works now. So be strong, my Brothers and Sisters of the Berm. Do like me. I am 70 and retired. I think of shoveling and snow blowing as my winter exercise.

It’s that or pay some teenager or a plowing service to do it for you.