Morgan

Woke up this morning to Jack and I told him to go look outside to see if it had snowed. Weather reports had said it was supposed to. It did not take Jack long to confirm the snow. He performed his duty of opening the living room curtains and proudly reported the falling snow. Well, you know I loved that news.

I waited until a little after 10 this morning to make my way outside. Jack came out and Natalie soon followed. Then Natalie went in and got Andy dressed and he joined the melee. Jack started working on the side walk with the metal shovel and I worked on the decorative driveway with the plastic one. Bro. Holyoak brought it to me and asked that we not use a metal one on the drive. No complaints by me as the plastic one is a much nicer shovel. Ken drove up to his house then he came out and started shoveling. We chatted for a bit and he told me about his snow blower that isn't working. I mentioned Walts old snow blower being in the back shed and he told me to go get it and use it. I hadn't talked to Bro. Holyoak about using it, he probably doesn't remember it being there but I went ahead and grabbed it. Wow, the thing worked like a champ. I finished out drive, finished Kens drive, did the sidewalk all the way down and around the corner, did the walk in front of Zola's, went across the street and cleared the other widow Zola's driveway, cleared her neighbor (the old guy in the ward that apparently told the PEC he didn't need any help at his place) and then hit Antonio's next to him. It was great.

You have time to think when you are shoveling snow or removing it anyway. I do like the power tool. Anyhow, I thought about being a kid and being so excited for the snow blower dad brought home one day. I think we used it all but once before someone stole it out of the garage. I was always bummed about that as I really wanted to try it. I think we are talking 27 years ago. I have never used a snow blower until today. It was like a dream come true.

Anyway, in my previous posts related to snow I have mentioned how I love shoveling snow. I like have a nice clean driveway and always enjoy seeing the mounds of snow around it. And as previously mentioned I love thinking about the snow pack in the mountains and the water that promises the coming year. It occurred to me today as I was clearing every driveway I could that I really loved doing that, serving other people. I remembered Morgan Reed coming to pick me up in his old white Suburban (yes the one I took out that light pole at the C-Hill building with that set Mike in a panic and still makes for a great story today) and driving me around Carson City to help clear driveways of the elderly. I loved doing that. I was usually wet and cold but felt so good. Morgan Reed, what a stallion. So grateful that he came and got me. He probably knew I wouldn't say no because I always felt guilty for nearly killing his truck. So grateful for those experiences as a young man. I don't know that I had the same effect on the young men in Carson but took them out shoveling. I remember running them up to the C-Hill building after a big storm to shovel there. It was actually quite poetic as we spun a few donuts in the parking lot and I got to share the story about the light pole that use to exist in the middle of that parking lot as we spun over the spot that it use to occupy. Those were good times with Jordan Rogers, Logan Phillipi, Brennan Shafer and others from the troop and quorum.

Anyhow, I am grateful for old Morgan Reed today. Grateful for the lessons of service that he taught me with that snow shovel. Grateful that I could remember that today.