.....and other random stuff......

Monday, October 22, 2012

Chivalry is Not Dead


Our city recently changed it's trash collection program.
They distributed to each household two very large ‘waste receptacles’. Read: big ass garbage cans!
They’ve done this so everything is mechanized. You have to place the cans ‘just so’ to enable the automated arm to scoop them up and dump them.
It’s all very modern and ecological.
One can for recyclables, one for garbage.

We were pleased when we learned of the new service because our old garbage cans were long overdue for replacement.
This way the city did it for us. Win win!

However………
I am the one in charge of can retrieval. (Husband puts them out.)
Being the lazy person I am I wait until the afternoon when I know the mailman has come so I can combine the two chores.

One trip down the driveway, stuff mail under arm, grab one can in each hand, tip and roll them back up the driveway. I do this walking backwards because, as I said, the cans are quite large and unwieldy.
It’s really not all that difficult.

One afternoon, my 82 year old next door neighbor and his wife were just pulling out of their driveway.
They honked ‘hello’ and waved to me.
Without thinking, I let go of one of the cans to wave back. The can I let go of fell to its side and s-l-o-w-l-y slid down to the end of the driveway as my neighbors drove by with a surprised and slightly alarmed look on their faces. (I was laughing hysterically at my own stupidity!)

The following week the cans magically returned to their usual place alongside the house.
After Husband got home from work I thanked him for stopping by during the day and doing the chore.
He laughed and said he didn’t do it, our neighbor did.
The neighbor told Husband he saw how I was ‘struggling’ with the cans so he would do it from now on!

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a lovely gesture. He’s doing it to be nice. Bur he’s twenty years older than I am!
It makes me feel totally incompetent!
I just can’t figure out how to tell him without hurting his feelings.

So for the past several weeks it’s been the GREAT RACE TO THE GARBAGE CANS!
So far I’m winning! LOL

3 comments:

  1. What a sweet neighbor. I may move the trash cans, one at a time, to Himself's side of the driveway. No way would I open up the garage door to put the cans in the garage. That's where the spiders live!

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  2. That's so kind of your neighbour, may be it makes him feel less guilty that he had waved and caused you to lose your can in the first place. Good luck with the 'Great Race to the Garbage Cans', could end up an Olympic event!

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  3. Isn't it wonderful to be so loved by your neighbors?!? I'll bet he looks forward to doing it for you...and he's retired...and needs the exercise...so I say...Let Him!

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