Jan 5 - truly strange experience

Conditions at 5:30 am - clear, starry skies, and-8'
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and -6'

Yesterday they promised sun and a few flurries. It snowed lightly all day and there was NO sun - let's hope they get it right today!
Last night I was watching TV (after calling Shaw and getting some technical assistance - I'd been without satellite since Monday morning so this needed to be fixed!) Anyway, it was a little after 10:00 pm and I thought I heard a knocking but it wasn't at the back door, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Of course the dog started barking madly. I turned on the kitchen lights and went cautiously to the back porch and after turning on that light as well, I could see out the door but there was no one there. I figured it must have been something outside in the wind maybe. Then as I was standing in the back porch I heard a voice yelling "Hello, hello". It's late at night, out in the middle of no where and there's a strange man's voice outside. Being from southern Ontario, my immediate gut reaction is fear. So I go to the door and look out and there's a strange man, a little scruffy looking, standing at the door. I said hello through the glass but didn't open the door. He said his vehicle had broke down and he wanted to know if he could use my phone. I wasn't sure if I should open the door or not but I said okay and I let him into the porch. I went into the living room and retrieved the cordless phone. I brought it back and he appeared to be harmless enough. But then so did Russell Williams! Inside in the light, he didn't look so menacing and explained that his furnace had broken down and he thought he had water in his fuel line and had gone to Mount Stewart to pick up some little bottles of stuff to fix the problem. I forget what you call it but I know you can put it into cars fuel tanks. Anyway, he asked me to dial the number as he didn't have his glasses and I did that as he dictated the number to me. He then spoke to his wife and was telling her his predicament. He didn't know what was wrong with the truck and he would walk home from here. I asked where he lived and he said just up the road.

By now I was feeling a little silly for being scared initially and I thought, this is PEI for heavens sake. So I told him I would give him a ride and yes, we could take his dog too, who he was going to leave in the truck over night. So I got my boots on and started the car while he walked down the driveway to his truck.  I drove down and got out and helped him push it off the road a little further, as it was right around the bend in the road. He had a lovely little dog who I put into the car so he wouldn't get hurt. After we got the truck moved, he got in and I drove him home. He lives down on McCannell road and he would have froze to death if he's had to walk home. He said he's lived there for 13 years and was pointing out the bus driver's house down the road from him and then it all fell into place. The bus driver was Gerard, whom I've never met, but I'm fairly sure that it was the same fellow that Brenda subbed for in the fall. I asked this man if he knew Bernie VanGaal and he said he did. I figured then it was okay. I asked him his name and he said it was Melvin Jackman. So I've now met another one of my neighbours.  He was most grateful when I pulled into his driveway and I was glad that I hadn't just told him to go away when he knocked on my door.  That is totally what I would have done in Ontario and that would have been the best thing to do.  Then this morning I was feeling a little guilty because I know they didn't have any heat and I feel I should have offered to let them come over here to stay until it could get fixed but...I guess part of me is still an Ontario girl.  I know if Lloyd had been here it might have been a different story but being by myself, I was a little unsure. So I did what I comfortably could at the time. Hopefully they got the heat working.
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I talked to Lloyd on Monday night and he mentioned that he didn't think there was anyone home upstairs. Mystery solved. Later in the evening I got an email from Jana. It seems that she and Scott, Kathy (Scott's mom) and Grace (Jana's mom) were in Las Vegas and were on their way to see "Love", the Beatles themed Cirque du Soleil