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Space Invaders
If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I grew up in northern New York state where the winters are long, snowy and cold. I also spent my college years in Vermont, thus front-loading my life with sub-freezing temperatures and a fair amount of snow. All of this is to say that after careful consideration I have decided it’s not for me. Oh sure, I like the snow at first — when it is pretty and not covered in car exhaust and dirt. It’s been several years since Baltimore was hit by a snowstorm like the one we received at the end of January, accompanied by frigid temperatures and ice. I guess we were due. Shoveling out was no picnic, and it took days before I was brave enough to drive anywhere. It’s not that I’m afraid of driving on snow covered roads. The bigger fear is losing the parking spot in front of my house. It seemed like all my neighbors had the same fear. It was like a staring contest to see who would blink first and drive off the street. And, if and when someone left, would they heed the mayor’s order not to save parking spaces with chairs and other objects? The answer came a few days after the storm when one brave neighbor on my street drove off, leaving their spot unclaimed. Would it be there when they returned? Throughout the neighborhood, there was a mix of rule followers and disobeyers. Some of the latter saved their spots with everything from a humble folding chair to plastic patio furniture to garbage pails. One person on an adjacent street saved their space with none other than a microwave oven — one that looked fresh out of the box. Once in college, I saw four big football players lift a car and carry it over several feet to create another parking space after a huge snowfall. Not since then had I seen anything so creative in winter parking — until I saw the microwave, positioned on its side (lest anyone try to heat up their coffee in it), deflecting a glimmer of sunlight off its stainless-steel exterior. So, I guess what nature taketh in parking, it giveth in ingenuity. Kudos, neighbor. Kudos.
Stay safe and healthy,
Tracy Jacobs
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