Blanket of snow

Or

Blanket interpretation of a “law”.

“I was never molested by any person, but by those who represented the state.”

Henry David Thoreau “On Walden Pond”

I am peripherally aware of some vague notion of a “municipal code” that makes it “illegal” to pile up snow from your property to the city’s property.

(Hmmm, isn’t that my property too?)(I pay my taxes.)

Anyway,  me thinks this “law” was intended to prevent people from making giant piles of obstructive snow,  that make it unsafe for traffic to see or navigate around.

I use a snowblower to do my sidewalk and my neighbors, since they are nearly 90.  When they see me, they wave and are always grateful.

I “feather” it out evenly, so as to not attract the attention of anyone thinking I’m “violating” some ordinance.

Not only  that, I cut the snow stream off when vehichles are approaching. Besides,  I have to drive down the street too.

Someone with a goody two shoe stuck up their butt, decided to inform local “law” enforcement.

Unfortunately,  it was my elderly neighbors who caught the brunt of the police warnings and potential fines, as their sidewalk looked like mine.

It was sad to hear how audibly shook up the neighbor lady sounded on the voice mail she left. I called her back to assure her, I will take responsibility.

After 43 years at their house,  this has never happened and they’ve been pushing their snow out to the street,  long before I ever helped.

Yes, I said Big Brother is watching. Again, sounding crestfallen they showed up at her house.  At least I got a chuckle out of her, when I made a loose lipped comment about those “fascist bastards”.

Think,  “Stormtroopers”, (there’s irony) as magically as this white s#!t appears,  it “magically” disappears.

Leave the elderly couple alone.

It’s not the brandishing of authority. (our collective unconscious has established that archetype, that could be undone if we were all just a little more responsible).

It’s the bland-ishing of humanity, whereas, since people are so weak in personally dealing with a situation (talking to the resident personally) instead of giving more power than necessary to a state employee to do their speaking for them.