February 7

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The 7th was the worst walking day yet.

This curb cut had obviously been shoveled out, only to be entirely filled, to a height of nearly 3', by the stinking plow(s!).

Wibbler and I gave up on this particular spot, and went up to a driveway, where the snow was only 15-18" deep, to cross the road.

The plows were zooming by, three of them, one after the other, round and round and round.

Anyone who left for work before the plows came by was going to be shoveling in order to get into their driveway after they got home.

Anyone who shoveled out the end of the drive in the morning was going to shovel again, as there was 6-8" of new )#$& in the bottom of their drive.  It took us 40 person-minutes to get the results of the plow out of our drive, the morning of the 7th, and another 15 or 20 to remove more plow detritus (which was frozen solid and required a dirt shovel to cut each piece loose from the mass before it could be moved) at the end of the day.

I cannot think this is an improvement to anyone's ambience..........................  At least -- not anyone who lives here.  To the drivers who do not live here, but regularly whiz down our totally residential! street on their way to somewhere else, perhaps it is an improvement, but I can't find that to be a comfort to me.

Sigh.




Stinking plow, with its results where people need to walk.

Those in charge claim that they want Ann Arbor to be pedestrian-friendly.

It seems to me that the needs of cars take precedence every time.

I came closer to falling, on this walk, than any other time this winter.  Climbing over the mountains of plowed-up crud -- definitely hazardous to one's health!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.





I try to keep it positive, here, I really do.

But sometimes I am overwhelmed by the knowledge that if no one speaks up, nothing will ever get better (not that I have any confidence that any amount of speaking up will make a difference, but if I notice something is wrong, and I don't say anything, then who will?????).

If everyone ignores the bad things that are happening all around us, surely they will multiply and infect and overwhelm..............

The Emperor is buck-naked.  Unclothed.  Nude.  Starkers.

Those of us who can't help but say so are often bearing witness (rather than just whining)..............

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