The friendliest neighborhood in North Idaho
It all started on Christmas Eve morning when Cherie and I opened our garage door. We planned a quick trip into Sandpoint for a few last minute gifts.
I knew it snowed the night before but I thought it might be only an inch or two. So, instead of firing up my snowblower, I decided I would merely push the snow down the slight incline of my driveway with my big blue ‘snowpusher’ shovel.
My plan was simple. I didn’t intend to clear the whole driveway with the snowpusher; I’d just clear two pathways behind my wheels and be ready to drive out in a few minutes. However, I soon found the snow to be about six or seven inches deep and very heavy. Cherie saw I was struggling to push the heavy load so she playfully began to push on my back. It did help, and we laughed to think of the silly sight we made as we team-pushed that big shovel down the driveway.
Suddenly a black car came around the corner and stopped at the foot of our driveway. “Stop,” the woman shouted, “You must stop that right now!” I was dumfounded. Who was this woman telling me I can’t clean my own driveway? I stood there aghast as she got on her cellphone and I heard her say, “Pat, what are you doing? (I visualized him saying, “Nothing Honey, I’m just relaxing in the hot tub”). She said, “Get down here right now and plow Mr. Cherry’s driveway. You know where he lives, it’s the old house on the corner with the blue roof and the wraparound porch.” I tried to protest but she wouldn’t hear of it and drove off down the street.
We hurriedly drove into town and when we returned that afternoon I wasn’t surprised to see our driveway plowed clean as a whistle. I told Cherie we must get a gift for Pat. He did such a nice thing for us.
The morning after Christmas we went back into town and got a small box of tangerines for Pat. When we returned home we found a man plowing our driveway with a four-wheeler equipped with a snow blade. I jumped out of the car and said, “You must be Pat. You’ve plowed our driveway again!” “Oh, No.” he said, “I’m Dave. Claudia told me to plow your driveway. So, after my dialysis treatment this morning I came over to help you.” As he finished and drove away I thanked him profusely and tried to figure out what was going on here. Everyone was being so nice to us.
Later that day we drove around our Krystle Loop until we spotted the woman’s black car in a driveway. When she opened the door I introduced myself and said I had a little gift for Pat. “Oh, thank you,” she said, “I’m his wife Pam. But Pat told me your driveway was already plowed before he got there.” Now I was really confused. “Then who plowed my driveway the first day?” I asked. Pam said, “Pat told me your neighbor Shane did it before he could get to your house. Then he came home and got back in the hot tub.”
Tomorrow morning Cherie and I will return to Sandpoint again for two more boxes of tangerines. One for David and the other for our next door neighbor Shane.
Cherie said, “Isn’t it nice to have such friendly neighbors. I think we live in the friendliest little neighborhood in North Idaho.” I wholeheartedly agree.
JIM and CHERIE CHERRY
Sagle