SNOW WAY

Like there is snow way this actually happened. As a general contractor and snow plow"er" in Chicago, every day is full of adventure. I've been told many times I should write my memoirs. Mrs. McCarthy, here is chapter 14 (chapter 13 was when the cockatiel got stuck behind the drywall).



This is one reason why snow plow operators get paid what they do. Not only do we have sleep deprivation, but it is a toll on our bodies and equipment. The other night, the snow/slush stopped around 6:00 p.m. My accounts do not need snow work done until later and I was spending a little time with family and friends. One account calls me and asks if I can clean their space by midnight. I know I have a slow leak on my driver's side tire, but I haven't seen the truck in a couple of days. I also know that I am low on fuel. So, I have to factor in time to allow for both of these. I'm pretty tired from a long week and decide to rest a little before I head out. Well, I woke up at 11:30pm. I race through the house waking my wife up in the process. "Is there a herd of elephants stampeding" she asks sleepily. "Shhhh," I respond. Off to the plow truck a block away only to find my tire nearly flat. I know I can't make it to a gas station and those 50 cent pumps cannot fill up the 80 psi that I need. My compressor happens to be at my house so I limp the one block back to my house on three full tires, plug the compressor in (WHAAAAA) it starts up at 11:45 P.M. with my whole family asleep as well as the neighborhood and I proceed to air up my tire. Now I 've really lost some time. So I can't get fuel before I clear my accounts driveway. By the time I finish with them, I am nearly out of fuel. I drive to the nearest fuel station and find the station closed. I rack my brain for the next closest. I barely make it to Ashland and Addison and fuel up. I Drive back to the commercial account on Ravenswood and Irving to continue the clean up. I need to shovel the walk whick takes about an hour of heavy work, then need to clean all the parking spaces. As I finish, I hear a clunk, squeek, and misc. other noises. I get out the truck, can't locate the problem and drive on (does this surprise anyone?) I hit a couple of other accounts and the noise is getting worse. By the time I get to one of my last accounts, I turn into the driveway and completely lose my four wheel drive capacity. Well, when you have had as much snow as we have, you need all 4 wheels pulling in order to move a big pile of snow. I shift into two wheel drive and find my rear wheels spinning on the ice. It's 2:30 in the morning and I am stuck. Blocking the driveway. In the process of trying to get unstuck, my rear end has fishtailed over so that I am wedged 1" away from one of the parked cars. I try leveraging the truck over,with a long 2 x 4 I found in the Sears parking lot, but to no avail. So happens I am only about 8 blocks from my house - where my other truck is parked. I figure if I get a chain, I'll be able to pull my truck rear end over to get out of this situation. So I leave my truck, plow and all, completely blocking the way for anybody to get out and start the walk of shame. I get to the corner of Lawrence and Wolcott, and lo and behold, here comes a little 4 wheel drive Jeep with a plow on it. I flag him down and ask the favor. He follows me over, I drag a chain out of the back of my truck and he yanks my rear end over far enough to be able to get out of my predicament. Many thanks to that unknown angel. Needless to say none of my other accounts were plowed that night. I think it was 3:45 before I nestled into my bed. The next morning, I wake up at 6am and help get kids ready for school. Breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed etc. My daughter takes ice skating lessons at McFetridge two days a week at 7am. My wife and daughter leave shortly before this, leaving me with the other two. I get my son to school and get a call on my cell phone. The wife says, "I have a flat tire at Montrose and California." I retrieve them, drop off my daughter at school and my wife at home. I still have mentioned nothing of the previous evening. I load my compressor in the back of my truck, drive back to my wife's car, air up her tire and get her car home. Then I get my plow truck, drive it my house so that I can remove the plow, which often times is not an easy process. Well the gods granted me a favor this day and she popped right off. Now I have to slowly drive my rig to Montrose and Pulaski with a man behind me following. Thom's Four Wheel Drive & Auto Service at 4118 N. Pulaski is an awesome place. Thom is one of the most interesting and informative guys I have met in the business. I highly recommend him. It turns out the left front tire was about to fall off. She is still in the shop at this writing and it is supposed to snow Monday night. It's now 11:oo am and I still have not plowed three of my accounts. I call a buddy of mine from Queen of Angels Parish and school who does snow plowing - Robert Brooks of Autumn Ridge Landscape and Design came through big time for me. Many thanks Robert. Well, that about concludes my story. Wish me luck and God Speed.