The National Shovel of Poland

I was shoveling this morning (third time since the weekend) because even though only about four inches had accumulated, a city ordinance requires that homeowners keep the sidewalks in front of their homes clear of snow. I was using the shovel that the State Department placed in our residence. Take a look at our shovel- it's a thin piece of wood spliced onto a wooden rod. This is the type of shovel used by ALL Poles, even the city workers in charge of snow removal. Only once have I seen a "store bought" shovel being used. At least we don't have as much sidewalk as we did in Greece, where we lived on a corner. My Greek neighbors disapproved of how little I swept and washed our sidewalk (yes, I said "wash"- Greek women wash their sidewalk every day!) so here, in Poland, I'm trying to be very neighborly and maintain the sidewalk (I'm doing better than a lot of the neighbors!).