The following story is what this column is all about…YOU…the reader.
‘The Battle of Plowville’ narrated by Mike Nowotarski
All quotes from the troops are taken from my Facebook account. They include members of Morgantown’s American Legion or their auxiliary organizations, Nowotarki, January 2016
Headquarters Plowville: Jan. 21 at 8:48 a.m.
It’s the day before the BIG storm! This milk, eggs, and bread thing is getting old. I don’t need that. I got deer, beer and gas! Deer and beer for me and gas for my sidekick, my snow blower. Tomorrow while most of you are enjoying French toast at your breakfast tables, I will be outside bonding with my trusty Troy-Bilt going into ‘Battle’ face to face with Mother Nature. While you’re cleaning up the breakfast dishes, I’ll be cleaning up the onslaught bestowed upon ALL of us. In the end, I will win the ‘Battle’ and enjoy a victory feast of deer meat and beer and you all might be still snowed in unless you join me.
There will be a N.A.T.O. Meeting with advisors at Col. Jacob Morgan American Legion Post #537, Morgantown, tomorrow at 3 p.m.
So far we have: General Kurt Derr covering the west over by Sleepy Hollow; Myself, south on Plow Rd; and Commander Roger Jacobs the southern sector. Lenny Creitz do you have the Legion parking lot covered southeast of here? ‘Whiskey for my men and beer for my horses.’
Leonard Creitz: Got it covered; be safe everyone; Sue Brown Liskey: Liskey will be bonding with his snowblower; Carl Weidner : Playing cleanup also; General Derr: Just watch it doesn’t flank us from the rear! General Nowotarski: Derr you have Admiral Carl Weider flanking your rear at the bottom of your hill. We got this!
Just outside the perfect storm has begun! Let the games begin! 5:07 p.m.
DAY ONE
General Derr: Status was surrounded overnight! Not surrendering. Planning full frontal assault on the rear at daybreak.
General Nowotarski: O.M.G….Plow Road is gone! Reports are coming in from the field. General Derr over by Sleepy Hollow is surrounded with supply lines cut off to his shed. I am about to put my on battle gear, open the garage door and assess the situation. But first my coffee and English muffin. Jan. 23, 7:27 a.m.
Morning Reports after 9 a.m.:Randall Hacker: I can see the Stars and Stripes, behind your truck. Our flag is still there.
Starla N Chris Ewing: Mike as your neighbor doing fine. Woodstoves running and we have no need to go out. Chris is out on the front line fighting he may be out for days! Jan Creitz: Lenny has been out since 2am. Starla N Chris Ewing : Another one of our soldiers. We thank him.
General Nowotarski: He’s on the front line also. Brave Men! We can only hope and pray that Mother Nature does not use her most powerful weapon~ The Wind! It’s going to be a long hard fight! Round one fighting the wind from the east was somewhat of a success. Mother Nature is throwing everything she’s got. My flank is secure for now. Now to the northern front where heavy fighting is being reported. God’s Speed and Tally Ho!
General Derr: First assault unsuccessful, Will try from the West later today. Mary McMullen Frazier: Better call in the reinforcements. Hank Hartz: finished 1st tour at 7:30, prepping for round 2. General Nowotarski: Hank we got a distress call coming somewhere behind El Mor’s. It may be Pam & Missy! Go in and get them out!
Pam LeViere: Aux officers currently secure. Will send out SOS when we run out of Kahlua!!!
Afternoon Reports:Starla N Chris Ewing: Chris is recharging his batteries and will go back out again. The poor work truck has lost a mirror, but he will not give up.
General Nowotarski: My last attempt to clear my deck has become futile. Not only do I find myself battling the elements I find myself battling a red nosed Pit Bull who wishes to devour my snow shovel. Once I put him inside, he continues his pursuit of my shovel through the sliding glass door. I abort the mission. Retiring to my favorite chair in hopes of catch 40 winks before the next Salvos Begin! BZZZ
I have devised a plan of attack. At 1600 Hours I will begin the 2nd wave of my assault. I will strategically place a can of beer at different check points throughout the battlefield! This will greatly improve my forward progress. I will gain ground back from Mother Nature. I shall be henceforth rewarded. The only fall back to this approach is if this battle continues into the evening hours. Then I will probably need assistance off the battlefield!
Here at the command center my armor is cold and wet. I’m trying to warm- up. The battle has takin away the feelin’ in my ‘Feets’! As the carnage continues I feel my deepest, darkest fears! Mother Nature will unleash her most mighty weapon~ the fury of her winds. It is picking up outside and I do believe this fight will go well into the night. We must not fail at all costs and though we are the under dogs, so were the Bad News Bears! It’s the top of the fourth and Nature is on top, I’m feeling a big rally coming on. Time to refuel! Forward March!
General Derr: I finally broke through the front line to the road, came in from the north and flank um. Got it~ all is good back at the front line, will hold until the am.
General Nowotarski: Well done General! I’m afraid the worst is yet to come! The Wind is gusting and visibility is very poor. The BEAST is unleashed! Ewing has returned from the Front lines! I’ll try and get a word with him on how the war is raging. We may be losing the battle but not the war. Our flag is still there! Wonder how the Commander is doing in the Southern sector!
Linda Jacobs: Breaking Tri County Record News: Roger is in the news, checking on the neighborhood! Video at the bottom right. www.berksmontnews.com. We got drifts up to three feet, Roger got us out before our Pope Mobile broke down.
General Nowotarski: Back at the command center reports are rolling in from the field! All men accounted for some had success some have not. All in all we had a blast fighting Mother Nature with our own sense of humor! We are all friends! The wind continues to blow and the snow continues to fall. Mopping up operations tomorrow. Wishing everybody a safe day out in the war zone. Rest well brave warriors.
Melissa Tillman Seifert: Thank you for protecting us. We’ll all fight to clean up tomorrow.
Carl Weidner: My brother joined the fight. He is taking the low road, and I’m waiting for him to do the high road, my place…lol Retired but still working….this snow can stop now!!
DAY TWO: RESULTS COMING IN
General Nowotarski: Jan. 24 at 12:32 p.m.
14 Hours of snow blowing and I think I got it licked. Helped my 80-year-old neighbor and I’m feeling pretty darn good about it!
Hank Hartz: Excellent! I did six hours earlier today, just got done mine and two neighbors! Mary McMullen Frazier: 6 hrs. At my house then to my mom’s did hers and shoveled the roof. Candy Burkhart: Been out snow blowing all Saturday & Sunday, done, exhausted and hurting.
Paul Morrison: Ditto. I did three neighbors, too. Tired of this!
Randall Hacker: I did mine, my mom’s, and her 87-year-old neighbor’s. He started to shovel his porch; thought he was gonna have a heart attack, I wouldn’t accept the pay he offered. He’s such a good neighbor. He prays for me and mom. Helped my niece get her driveway done; we finished in the dark. I don’t know what’s going on with the township. Someone said their plows are down. No one is plowing, Quaker Hill, Timber Ridge, or Overlook. Everybody is all mad. Most of the roads are impassable. Thank God we have electricity, God Bless, Morgantown.
Mary McMullen Frazier: Goodnight from Elverson, sweet dreams of more snow wars.
And so it was during the Blizzard of 2016. Everybody please send reports from your own neighborhood to quaintancecarol@gmail.com. I am hearing rumbles out there. Send me your story with your name and town for publication.
