Something exciting this way comes…

What could be drawing all the children to the window? (Including the hairy canine one?)

If you’re curious, you have, from left to right, Poppy, Daisy the puppy, Daniel, Grace, and Rory. Jazz was home sick that day.

What has them peering down the street? It’s almost here… It’s almost here…

“Dat! Dat! Ah! Ah!” Daniel spots it! It’s almost here!!!

Our street is being plowed today! And not just plowed, no, today we’re getting the whole deal! Today is SNOWBANK REMOVAL! First, a pass with the grader.

For regular snow plowing days, that’s all you’d see. It would make a pass down each side of the street, and push the snow to the side, making snowbanks. But eventually, those snowbanks get so large that the road becomes a mere track for a single car. So every so often the city sends out ALL THE TRUCKS! (So that we can go from the picture in that previous link to this. Woo!)

So, a pass with the grader first. Those things are so cool. Their giant tires can angle to a good 45 degrees, to pull against the weight of the snow they’re pushing. And this time, preparing for snowbank removal, they don’t push the snow to the side, but push it into a giant rill down the centre of the street.

And then, across the street, the cute l’il sidewalk plow. Awww…

A grader will make a second pass (or some days, they use TWO GRADERS AT ONCE!!!!) to clear the sidewalk snow into the centre of the street. And all the while, the children peer out the window. Waiting, watching, thrilled to bits!

The piece de resistance is this. My porch gets in the way, but what you’re seeing here is a GIANT SNOWBLOWER, with big blades on the front, and a chute which shoots the snow into the DUMP TRUCK that drives slowly alongside. There are other dump trucks lined up at the base of the street, so when one is filled, the next pulls up with nary a beat missed.

(Do you have any idea how exciting this is?????)

All the children love the show. They stood like this on the couch for a solid hour. The trucks were only directly out front for a few minutes, you understand, but it happens in stages: a few minutes on our side, and then, some while later, a few minutes on the other side, and then, later again, the snowblower and dump truck.

There was no running back and forth to the window, however, because between the appearances, they could hear the machinery rumbling through the neighbouring streets, and that was sufficient to keep them there. For an hour.

They would have stayed longer, except that lunch was served. Even the Call of the Plows couldn’t outweigh the Call of the Bellies.

All except… Rory. Rory loves trucks and tractors above all things. Except perhaps ducks. And worms. And skating with daddy. And tobogganing. And why snow melts. And how colours blend. And that prism in the window. And why Daisy will eat poo. And that his baby sister gets milk from his mommy. And that when you’re old, you get white hair like nana. And…

Okay, so Rory is just a smart, curious boy. Who LOVES TRUCKS. Who loves trucks EVEN MORE than he loves lunch. (And he generally has a couple of helpings.)

You know what? Is that not just so sweet, the little boy glued to the window by his intense enthusiasm? His driving interest? Doesn’t he just look so wee, standing there on the couch, peering out, all by his lonesome?

This was just so damned adorable, I actually broke a house rule, and let him eat his lunch standing there at the window.

Because snowbank removal, that just doesn’t happen every day!