Tomorrow when I head out to the acupuncturist’s office and to teach yoga, I will begin my winter cursing. My republican neighbors (there aren’t many in Northeast Minneapolis) down the street refuse to shovel their walk. I don’t mean once in a great while, but NEVER. I’m not kidding. Last year I called on them each time I fell. This year I think I will call each time I walk by.
This is on Lowry avenue, two houses in from Johnson Street. On the way to the Bus. As I type this I still remember my run to catch the bus to the YMCA for an early morning swim. I flew my feet in the air and crashed on my left hip.
If you really want to shovel your walk, you do it. Even my 93 year old neighbor shovels her walk. These non-shovelers live on a hill and on “the hill”. Since they can’t see the sidewalk, maybe they think it isn’t there. We all have our quirks, I guess. This year I hope they have a few fines from the city as well.
I am a meanie.
On the other hand, I can be nice now that I have wheels. I took a soup to the Vet house where Dr. J., Vet Nutritionist Extraordinaire has the worst case of the flu I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t have the red wagon I could NEVER have gotten there with that big ol’ pot of soup. I hope it works. The soup cooked all day and I cleaned parts my chaotic house with “Feng Shui Susan”. I know that I need to eliminate the chaos as best as I can to prepare for what “Lyme Disease” treatment holds for me. After I’ll take any help I can get. Even from my messy friends. They don’t need to be Feng Shui Goddesses, just handy with a dish towel. If they can say, “get rid of the chair, Jeanne,” that is helpful, too. Calm. Peaceful. Say no to everything. Simplify. The best way through it is through it. Lots of new mantras for me.
I’ve never posted a video before, but I think this should work. This is the trailer for “Under Our Skin” the documentary about Lyme. There are many different parts of the documentary on youtube. My in-laws saw it and don’t think I need it cloud my healing process with the images. But you can.
December 7, 2008 at 10:51 pm
That video clip was scary…
December 7, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Britta! You shouldn’t watch this shit either! This is the worst of the worst. This doesn’t have to be us. What is up with you? Are you doing okay?
If you do a CD-57 test, remember it has to be done at LABCORP. Has to. M, T, W, Thursday only. Let me know. I’ll meet you for lunch at the Bombay Bistro downstairs!
December 8, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Too bad I live over 3.5 hours away from the Twin Cities!
December 10, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Hi there! I happened upon your blog and I like it a lot. I live in the neighborhood and I think I know EXACTLY the house you’re talking about – they have a certain affinity for holiday decorations?
I was carless for a good chunk of last winter and hated how many people don’t shovel on Lowry Ave on my path to the #4! I think that I, too, will start reporting them. Did you just call the city?
December 10, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Yes! You know the house. Affinity is an understatement. We try to snow blow. You cross our path too. Right at the Hayes light.
December 12, 2008 at 11:35 am
I hear ya! I live just down the hill from you, on Lowry, closer to Central. I will be calling 311 and informing them of every property I walk by that refuses to shovel. I’m fine to tromp through the snow in my boots, but Lowry’s sidewalks are barely wide enough for those in wheelchairs to pass when there isn’t snow piled up. It’s a bad deal. Obviously, there are some people who are not physically able to clear their walks,the City can make arrangements for those situations.
I too know the house you speak of. Ugh.
December 17, 2008 at 5:43 pm
What is the deal with Republican non-shovelers? I’ve run into the same issue down in Longfellow. Maybe having no collective sense makes it hard for them to understand the benefits of helping each other out?
December 21, 2008 at 12:49 am
I just found your blog while looking at other blogs regarding bike fenders — long story, not interesting. I’m the writer of carfreefamily.blogspot.com. It’s good to know there’s more of us out there. I’m up too late, so I won’t read more of your blog now, but I’ll get back to it.
It’s much easier, I believe, to be a carfree family in Santa Fe. It’s cold, but not so very. We received about 8″ of snow last week, but now the roads are clear and dry. It just sublimates into the high mountain air at 7000 feet.
There are still some icy sidewalks. My kids and I have started shoveling our elderly neighbors’s walks, but we’re not going to shovel the entire city.
January 29, 2009 at 8:07 am
Ah yes, that house. I cringe everytime we need to view the amount of plastic and electricity that goes into those “decorations.” I live one block off Lowry and we are looking at going to a one car family (my dh needs a vehicle to get to construction jobs), and so we are trying to not take a car everywhere to get used to this new life w/o a car. Trying to trudge along the sidewalks with two small kids walking and a stroller was quite an adventure the other day. I’m trying to figure out a way to use the bicycle this spring with 3 children and none that can ride their own bike.
January 29, 2009 at 9:03 am
Christine,
Talk to Chuck at Behind Bars. He will have some ideas for you. Burley’s are on sale at costco if you don’t have one (they are regretting this move), and there are some save designs for on the bike carriers!
January 29, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I will have to check out Behind Bars – like the idea of keeping business in my neighborhood. We have a Burly-like tow-behind. I remember seeing someone with a Burley and then a ride-behind bike behind that. I guess it might be a quick way to get into shape -pulling that much weight up the hills of NE.