Sick of the “dibs” chairs marking shoveled-out parking spots on your street?
You could collect all the chairs in your neighborhood and sell them on Craigslist, like this North Side resident.
Or you could take the day off work to dig out your entire block.
That’s how self-described “West Side philanthropist” Jamie Lynn Ferguson, 29, of Humboldt Park spent her day Thursday. And she live-tweeted the whole thing.
“Good Morning! No one can park on my block unless they’ve called #dibs. I’m taking the day off to shovel us out,” she tweeted at about 9 a.m.
Good Morning! No one can park on my block unless they've called #dibs. I'm taking the day off to shovel us out. pic.twitter.com/UUiDouhjci
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Ferguson came up with the idea to shovel out all the parking spots on her street Wednesday night, she said, after reading “all the stories about dibs and neighbors getting upset and fighting over spots,” she said.
“Forget about dibs, and I’ll just do it for you. I just think it’s a better way for us to live as a community: as people who look out for each other instead of fighting for spots.”
Ferguson’s neighbors are people who, “when we see each other in the summer, are nice and friendly,” she said.
Many are “elderly ladies,” like the woman across the street who ran outside, bundled up, to thank her. She told Ferguson she’d gotten sick while trying to shovel her own car out the day before.
She met five or six more neighbors while digging Thursday: The man next door who didn’t have a shovel, but talked her through Spot No. 4, a rehabber who’d rebuilt the front of his building, the 20-somethings who cheered, “Stay warm, ma’am.”
“I probably talked to about five or six people, some of whom came out and were like, ‘What are you doing?’ being it’s obvious I’m going up and down my street and these aren’t all my cars,” she said.
Ferguson also was inspired in part by her coworkers at a homeless shelter and after-school program in East Garfield Park, where, she said, “every day I see my coworkers, who do such amazing things.”
“It gives you a heart to do the same and help people.”
Her plan to dig out the block almost was ruined, she said, when she couldn’t find a shovel in her building’s maintenance closet. Luckily, she spotted one outside a neighbor’s home.
Her last task of the day will be to dig out that neighbor’s walkway, she said.
By 3 p.m., Ferguson already had dug out one side of her street: about 16 parking spots, she said. She estimated she probably had five or six more to go before she was finished.
“It’s been really cool,” she said.
“To me, it’s a simple thing to do for your neighbors, but the look of awe on their faces is so rewarding. They were like, ‘God bless you.’”
Sorry, Craigslist chair seller. We have a new hero.
Here are some of the highlights of Ferguson’s mission to free the dibs on her block:
It begins. Spot 1. #dibsforfree pic.twitter.com/T8djFr62CO
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Spot 1 complete! Took a minute bc I met Louis, who tells me he volunteers in Central America. Louis says god bless me. Thanks Louis.
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
My wonderful neighbor has offered me a better shovel. #nodibs pic.twitter.com/CCrxyv2oh9
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Went into "more shoveling, less tweeting" mode. Three spots in! #nodibs pic.twitter.com/d5ml4IGycD
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Five minute water break. It's important to stay hydrated y'all. #nodibs pic.twitter.com/gYOF3oOlzO
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Jose just offered to help! He lives next door. He does not have a shovel but talking to him made Spot #4 a little easier to get through.
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Spot No. 5: this is gonna be a toughy. http://t.co/wfAdx73ctH
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Favorite part of today: my neighbor Phyllis came out to thank me. She got sick yesterday for being outside too long. Doing her spot now.
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
A happy customer!!! This lil jeep is now enjoying Spot no. 3 pic.twitter.com/ph1re5m35J
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Someone working harder than me. Yay for postal workers during all sorts of weather. pic.twitter.com/EbYi9bVCH4
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Shoveled 7 spots for my neighbors so far! And now we break for soup. pic.twitter.com/FqTajOdjM4
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Okay, lunch break over. Back to this outer space snow. #nodibs pic.twitter.com/TdsYKN14sq
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Four hours in: Here's what we've got left. That lil blue number looks familiar. #nodibs http://t.co/SZK2sMwjsm
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Can I be proud for a minute? This one was real crazy hard. pic.twitter.com/Z5DqimleTo
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Finished the entire north side of my street, and just did 3 more cars before my break. Just a handful to go! #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Finished two, easy-peasy. Last one coming up, then my final project: shovel the walkway of the guy who lent me the shovel I'm using. #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Save the best for last? #nodibs http://t.co/GtOhxXE4Kp
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
It is finished. I successfully dug out my entire street. More successfully, I asked my neighbors to… http://t.co/SEnpla1qMn
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Last step: Shovel returned to my neighbor who I got to meet today. He had no idea why I needed it, and said yes right away. #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Closing thoughts: it's easy to be nice. You don't have to shovel an entire street. You can say hi to ppl; ask them real questions. #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Also, Chicago isnt as scary as the crime reports lead. You probably have nice neighbors, with great stories, who wanna talk to you. #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014
Final thought: I'm tired. Thanks for doing this with me today. #nodibs
— Jamie Lavigueur (@JamieLavig) January 9, 2014