Good people. They’re out there.

I have Lateral Epicondylitis! The doctors say I might not make it, and that I should start making out my will and testament, maybe sooner rather than later. If only I hadn’t eaten that strange green stuff during my trip to Mexico …

Oh, who am I kidding? It’s still just tendonitis. It’s flared up and won’t go away for some reason, but it’s not serious, just painful. They gave me a shot of something — and not in my arm, if you catch my drift — and told me to take ibuprofen, put greasy stuff and heat on it (the elbow, not the ibuprofen), and don’t do any heavy lifting or work. Apparently keyboarding isn’t a problem, so I maintain my wild and crazy lifestyle.

But considering the time of year, I was a little curious about how I was going to shovel snow on my sidewalk and driveway. By curious, I mean worried. It was suggested I buy ice-melt chemicals by the ton, but that seemed like cheating … besides, the doc told me to cut down on salt.

I figured I could do it by mostly just using my left arm, which is of course a recipe for disaster, and after it stopped snowing last night I grabbed the lighter of my two snow shovels and the heavier of my coats and headed out. There I discovered someone with a snowblower had made a path along the length of the sidewalk in front of my house, and up my front walk all the way to the steps.

Then I went around to the driveway, which I saw had been completely plowed except for the concrete pad where the car was parked.

For the first I suspect one neighbor, as I spotted a snowblower on his front porch. For the second I suspect my other neighbor (who I share the driveway with), because there was a skidloader parked behind his house. My part of the task ended up being considerably less than I expected, which is good because my arm will never heal if I keep heading out to do dumb things. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to move some furniture.

Nice people. They’re out there.