Midwestern Work Ethic

We had another big storm a few days ago, and it knocked a tree down directly over the road, just around the corner from our house. As it was thundering and raining buckets, winds howling, Brian was riding his motorcycle home from work. When he came up to the tree across his path, he road around it on the sidewalk.

He made it home, soaking wet. Phew!

We ate dinner, the storm stopped, and we walked outside to take a look at this tree over the road. We came upon people already cleaning it up:




You gotta love that Midwestern work ethic! The storm wasn't over an hour, and there were a bunch of guys outside with chain saws, hacking away.

I guess we're not very good Midwesterners! I just took a picture of them.

In our defense, we do live a good five houses down from the fallen tree, and it looked like all of those people were from the actual houses in front of the tree.

I often wonder what the aftermath of Katrina would have been like, had it hit here. I can just imagine the short haired, tennis-shoed Midwestern women, "Ya, I got me a sump pump and an ax. We'd better get to it! Not long before winter will be settin' in..." I can almost hear the hammers tapping on the rooftops and the faint sound of an accordion playing the polka... the duck boat giving tours... Ah, Wisconsin.

2 comments:

  1. Not to doubt the wonderful Midwestern work ethic, but I think it's possible that the people were cleaning it up because they live in that house and need to get out in the morning to go to work. :)

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  2. Actually, it didn't trap anyone. You can just go around the block to get around it, and no one's driveway was blocked.
    No, really, it was just the Midwestern work ethic. I swear!

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