Monday, March 27, 2023, MN, WI

For a change of pace, I have lots to write about today. I just got back home from a visit to Wisconsin and I packed a lot of activity into a few days. My neighbor, Deb watched Frisco, so I didn’t have to deal with his car sickness and having to fit him into my busy days.  I started out on Thursday morning.   and met up with the Bridge family, Tom, Karen, and Sharon at Buck & Honey’s in Monona. 

The restaurant occupies the land that was once the Inland Lakes Boat works, Mike’s maternal grandparent’s fiberglass boat building facility. Some of the decor reflects that business, in fact, I used the rest room and as I turned to flush, there on the wall was a photo of Mike’s Mom, her parents and brother.

People rave about the place and I think the decor and atmosphere is really cool, but I thought the food was bland, as did Karen.  We had some great conversation and it was so nice to catch up with them - our visits have been too few and too far apart.

I then headed to Dawn’s Bed and Breakfast where I got settled in and then Pat stopped by for a hug on his way home from work - what a guy! Dawn and I went to Cheeser’s Wine Bar for the wine tasting and had a sampling of five wines that were paired with Girl Scout Cookies.  What fun! After that, we went back home and had beef stew (her Mom’s recipe) and we talked and talked and had more wine.

Day 2, Friday started with a walk to Sunshine Restaurant for a breakfast meetup with Jonnie.  She was so funny - she had a senior moment and she couldn’t find her phone, she went out and checked her truck and there it was on the seat but her truck was locked and the keys were in it.  She called her son to come help her get into the truck, but then as we were eating our breakfast, she reached into her jacket pocket and found the keys. We all got a good laugh out of that.  After walking back to Dawn’s, we walked downtown to city hall so she could drop off her voting ballot.

I hung out with Susan that afternoon and we had a very nice visit and I left her house with an assortment of fancy yarns - will have to come up with a plan for using them.  I sure am praying that she gets good results this week after having a scan to check on how her chemotherapy affected the cancer. Then I was off to Pat and Tracey’s house for the rest of the evening.  We got fish fry from Culver’s for dinner and the walleye dinner was excellent! 

What a surprise Saturday morning when we woke up to 10” of new snow on the ground. I had checked the forecast before leaving home on Thursday and they were calling for a dusting to 2” at that time. I guess they were wrong on that one! Once a path was shoveled and the roads were plowed,it all melted from those surfaces.  Pat had to drive to Madison to check the tent at his worksite (it’s still too cold for plastering) and remove the snow so it wouldn’t cave in. I took a nap while he was gone.  We made yummy tuna melts for late lunch/early dinner and they really hit the spot.

Sunday started with coffee with Pat and was followed by breakfast at the Squirrel’s Nest in McFarland, as they are said to have the best walleye breakfast around, complete with yummy Bloody Mary’s - what a way to start the day - we needed naps after that. 

My Sister Cousin Girlfriend and I 

I met up with classmate and friend, Doug, at BBG’s for a beer and to catch up on the last year’s events. It’s always nice to have a friendly chat with him.

One last stop at Pat’s and then I was back at Dawn’s.  Her friend Paul came over for dinner and we watched a couple of British murder mysteries. And then it was off to bed for a good nights sleep before the long drive back home.  It really is a piece of cake drive, mostly freeway and decent roads, it’s just long.

Joey was all wiggly and happy when he saw me. He and Deb got along just fine and I’m happy to have that resource close by.  Tom and I had a nice, long phone chat and caught up on the events of our lives.  It was an early to bed night.

Friday, March 17, 2023, MN

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!  All these years, I thought I was part Irish because my Dad told me that his mother came from Ireland.  That may be so, but I don’t think she was Irish, as there are no Irish ancestors that show up in my DNA. Perhaps her family moved from another country to Ireland before she was born?.? Who knows, but I’m wearing the green today - just because - I love their music and dance.

Winter - it just doesn’t want to leave us this year.  We are now in the Top 10 snowiest winters in history with about 80” that have fallen since December.  And I’m sick and tired of it, as are just about everyone I know.  We have had a few little tastes of spring with some days near 40 degrees so folks around here have some hope.  We are now looking at a few days in the 20s.

I am tentatively planning a trip to Stoughton next week - have my room reserved at Dawn’s Bed & Breakfast but will have to see what the weather brings.  

I have made a couple of crochet pillow covers over the last couple of weeks and I think they both turned out nice,although I’m contemplating adding a border to the blue one.

Joey is doing really well with his training, he is truly driven by treats, but I had to put the no bark collar back on him the other day, as he is not nice when he meets some of my male neighbors, especially Chris.  Chris hasn’t even approached Joey, but there must be something about his stature or his voice that sets Joey off.  Last night, Joey slipped out of my apartment and ran crazy through the hallway, only stopping to stand and bark at Chris. I finally caught up with him, and carried him back to my apartment.  I think he might scurry out, thinking that I'm leaving and he wants to go too.  I’m afraid Chris might complain, so I warned our manager this morning.

Today is ‘give Joey a haircut day’, so I’m signing off. We did the bath yesterday and I started on his face. He is now medicated and calm, so we shall see how it goes.

Tuesday, March 7, 2023, MN

A whole week! But today is the first day in the last week that I have actually done anything worth writing about. And a busy one it was, starting with a nice conversation with my old friend Leslie before having to get Joey out for a walk so I could to my haircut appointment on time.  Shirley and I always have the greatest conversations and it’s fun to hear about her life stories.  

I got back home just in time to make it to my monthly art class and this one was an unusual activity, one that I have never done before - making paper.  It all started with a big tub of pulp that was made by Genevieve for the class.   Bits of shredded paper from her recycle bin was kept in a bucket full of water overnight, then she ran it through a blender.  The process started with a rectangle shaped form with screens that was dipped into the bucket of pulp so the screen ended up with a thick layer of soggy, wet paper pulp. We then added interesting dried flower petals and leaves, sparkles, silk and mohair threads, and even some flower seeds (the paper can be put on the dirt so the seeds can sprout) to the wet pulp on the screen, covered it with a cloth and blotted it with sponges to remove the excess water - leaving a thick layer of textured paper that was then peeled from the screen and dried with a heat gun.  We each made 4-5 sheets of paper.  Here are mine - I’m not sure what I will do with them, but will find some use.

Genevieve also brought us the clay birds that we made in the last class. She took them to her studio and fired them in the kiln, then mounted them on a piece of log.  Here’s mine - I think he turned out really cute.

Her classes are enjoyable and I find it fun and interesting to learn new things - not like I need a bunch of trinkets sitting around, nor do I have a lot of room for trinkets, but I do keep them around for a while - some are useful.

Tonight, we had our first Dog Obedience class and boy do I feel proud of Joey - I think he earned an A+.  He was well behaved and picked right up on all of the exercises that they had us do in class. Maybe some of our book learning and practice at home prior to the class has helped with that - and the fact that he is definitely treat driven also helps.  We have lots of work to do and a few handouts to read before class next week, but I feel we are definitely making some progress. He also seems to be a lot more relaxed - maybe he was thinking that his job was be a little ‘pain in the neck’ and to keep me entertained.  We will keep it up and one day I hope to have a well behaved little guy that I can take with me when travel and visit with family and friends.  I may just want to get back into taking road trips.

We had more snow, about 4.5” last week, but it was wet, heavy stuff that didn’t stick to the roads but piled up and what we already have.  They are saying that this is the 12th snowiest winter in history and that we had over 70” since December.  More is predicted later this week. Do I need to say that I’m getting real tired of it? I’m just trying to take it in stride and not to let it bother me.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023, MN

I don’t have a lot to write about over the weekend.  The weather was descent and I was able to get out for a walk several days, although we’ve had rain and warm days and that is followed by icy walking surfaces.  I moved my car and Tim’s car to the street on Friday so our lot could be cleaned out on Saturday. That is a real pain in the butt, but necessary.

I went to an estate sale on Friday but found a sign on the door that the sale was rescheduled.  I also went to one on Saturday and it just amazes me that people live in such huge homes. This was a 5-bedroom house in Mendota Heights and was full of beautiful furniture - nothing for me. I’m kind of looking for a small chair for my living room, found a nice one, but I’m no longer interested in antiques.  I walked out of there with a few books by local authors.  

Yesterday was Tom’s 74th birthday (we are the same age for two months) and we had a nice chat over coffee in the morning. 

I helped a friend out yesterday by taking her to an orthopedic appointment after she fell and broke her hip during the big January snowstorm that we had.

Thursday, February 23, 2023, MN

This week brought another two-day Snowmageddon to the Midwest, well actually all the way across the country from the west coast.  We ended up with about 14”.  Several women from my building showed up to help clean the snow off cars and to shovel pathways to the drivers doors and behind the tires so they can be backed out. We thought a good name for us would be Snow Angels.  After the last cleanup, I lounged in a hot bath and took a short nap.

I left my apartment to get a picture of the parking lot and Joey apparently snuck out with me and I wasn’t aware of it.  When I was in the tub I heard him barking but thought he was under my bed. When it continued, I got up and found him at the door.  Later on, I learned from Leslie that he had pooped on the floor in front of her apartment (probably anxiety) and then heard that he wasn’t very friendly with Ted.

He’s been kind of anxious since yesterday when I bought a bark collar for him.  I did this to correct his bad habit of demanding barking, where he stands facing me, kicks his hind legs and barks - wanting attention, play, or food.  From all that I’ve read, the best way to correct the behavior is to ignore it.  I’ve left the room, walked away, turned away, and tried to ignore it but it’s almost impossible to ignore. So, I’m going to try the bark collar.

Good news from Rita this week! The cancer tumors in her lung can be treated with radiation and do not require surgical removal. Yay! I’m so happy with the news and the outlook!

Before I even put it on him, he became quiet and clingy (has he been through this before)? And once I did put it on him, he laid next to me and was really subdued.  In the evening, he did bark and it signaled and he immediately ran under the couch and stayed there the rest of the night.  He’s also been under the bed a lot. 

Sunday, February 19, 2023, MN

It’s another week to reflect and decide on what exciting events in my life were worth writing about.  Was it the residents meeting that had much better attendance than those held in the past, that wasn’t real productive although many topics were covered? They did provide donuts which is probably why attendance was so good.  Was it the fact that Karen monopolized the conversation for over half an hour on her belief that the pond on our property is contaminated because a cat was found dead there on the day that she moved into her apartment six years ago? Management tried to reassure her that the County and city monitor retention ponds and just because a cat was found dead there six years ago doesn’t mean that it is contamined. She wasn’t happy and got up, gathered her stuff and walked out.  Sometimes I just have to shake my head at old people.

Monday was the 10th anniversary of Mike’s passing and I had conversations with both of my sons and took the time to look at photo albums and reflect on the years that we had together.  I got a heartfelt ‘thinking of you today’ text from Patty first thing in the morning and my reply was that it seemed like yesterday but in reality was ten years of yesterdays. I look back in wonder at who I would be today if I hadn’t had the stable influence of him and his family.

And then there was Valentines Day, and Ben’s 46th birthday.  He had the day off, but it was full of appointments and I was at their house cleaning, so other than the birthday cake that I made for him, we didn’t celebrate together.

Our temps have been kind of a roller coaster this week but Joey and I have gotten out for walks.  One day, I clamped on my Yak Trax (there is still a thick layer of ice on the sidewalks and the edges of the roads).  I noticed the many different sounds that were coming from my steps that were hitting different depths of ice, sometimes slushy, slurry sound and other times crisp crinkling sounds.  It’s too bad that I didn’t try to record it.  No, I wasn’t stoned either. 

Yesterday was full of happy and sad moments.  The sad news was that I learned that it was confirmed that Rita has lung cancer and will be facing surgery to remove one tumor and radiation to tackle two others.  This didn’t come as a complete surprise as they have been monitoring a spot on her lung for many years and there have been changes recently.  It is in an early stage, so her prospects of favorable results seem very possible.  

The happy was that I went to St Paul to visit with my cousin Dawn who is visiting her long time friend, Randy Sabien.  It turns out that their friendship has turned into a relationship that has gone from annual checks to see how she is doing to frequent meetups.  Randy is a musician who plays many instruments but mostly the fiddle and Mike and I saw him perform many times back in the 90s.  We had a great visit and I watched several of his You Tube videos when I got back home.  I’m so happy for them both.

I finally explored the walking trail at Marsh Lake Park, it’s been on my list of places to check out for a long time and it proved to be well worth it.  The trail is covered with a very thick layer of wood chips and it’s about a mile long through the woods and along a small marshy area. There were a lot of trees cut down and I learned from another walker that they are clearing out the invasive Buckthorn and the Ash trees that are infested by the Emerald Ash Borer. Even though there were a lot of trees cut, it seems there will still be lots of nice ones along the trail. It sure is nice to find these great natural spaces right in the middle of the city.

Sunday, February 12, 2023, MN

I just heard from the family that they are on their way back home. I’ll hang out for a couple more hours, take the dogs for a walk, and then be on my way back home too.  I took the dogs to the Carver County off leash dog park this morning near Victoria - such a pretty walk through the woods - even in the small dog area.  The two dog parks that are closest to me are in industrial areas, so not real pretty. It’s another beautiful sunny day and it’s close to 40° and everyone is loving it.  As you can see - we still have lots of snow on the ground, lots of icy driveways, and it will take a long time for this to melt down.  I think there is some rain in the forecast later in the week.

Yesterday while having a chat on the phone with Patrick, I looked out the window to see four squirrels hanging (literally) on the sunny, east facing side of the trunk of a huge Oak tree.  Two were facing upward and two were facing downward.  They hung like that for quite a while before scattering. I guess they were just enjoying the sunshine.

Friday, February 10, 2023, MN

I’m sitting here in Ben and Jill’s family room, looking out the huge windows into the woods, watching the squirrels running and playing - they sure have been active.  I’m not sure what breed they are, but the color is reddish and they are real small. I’m here for the weekend, watching Yoshi and enjoying the views and the wide open spaces while the family is off to Lutsen for a weekend of skiiing.  We just got back from a 40 minute walk in the 27° sunshine and I’m looking forward to much warmer temps on the weekend.

I made a chicken and rice hot dish to share the family on Tuesday evening, then picked the girls up after school.  They did their homework and then we proceeded to work on their Valentines boxes.  They are using the ones they have used for the past several years, but wanted to update them a bit.  I brought along some valentines paper that I just bought, some ribbon and bling, and we wrapped the tops in red paper and they decorated.  They all turned out real cute! Charlotte is all about the Axolotyl (a Mexican Salamander) these days, so her box was decorated with them. 

I finished making their valentines before I left home this morning, added an origami heart made with a $5 bill to each envelope and set them on their boxes with a note, “Do Not Open 

Until February 14”.  Instead of stitching cards, this time I did watercolors. Here’s how they turned out.

Sunday, February 5, 2023, MN

I went to watch the twins win their first basketball game yesterday, 18 to 12.  They both made baskets and both got fouled - at least they were engaged and trying.  Its to see how they have improved week after week and this game, to see them do their victory dances at the end of the game. 

They wanted to come home with me for a sleepover, so we all had a nice dinner together and then Norah and Camille and I got home about 8 and pretty much headed right to bed.  We had to get moving right away this morning in order to get to Charlotte’s swim meet on time.  She competed in three events, got a fifth place for the 100 meter breast stroke but was exhausted when it came time for the 200 meter backstroke, just 15 minutes later and placed last.  She had such a sad and defeated look on her face and was crying when she came up the stairs and that made me just want to cry too.  I guess that’s just a hard part of life when you have to learn to accept your failures along with your wins.

Joey and I got nice outdoor walks in the last two days and boy does that feel good.

Friday, February 3, 2023, MN

Yay, it’s February, the shortest month of the year that always seems like the longest. Then again, it seemed like January would never end. The week has been cold except for Wednesday that reached a high of 23° and that seemed so warm compared to what we have had. Today takes another dip with a high expected to be 4° but then they say we will warm up to the 30s starting tomorrow.

Yesterday was a rough one for Joey as he was in his crate for six hours while I cleaned Ben’s house, then I was exhausted when I got home and felt like being a slug, but he all of this cooped up energy needing to get out.  We came in from a walk and as I was changing my clothes, I turned around and saw him pooping on the floor. I blame this on myself as much as him (too cold to find a good spot) and me for not being persistent in taking him to all of the good spots.  Several days we have had to come inside to warm up and then head right back out again.  Now, today, I need to steam clean the carpet so the scent doesn’t hang around.

Speaking of cleaning Ben’s house - it gives me over 10,000 steps, 5.5 miles of walking, and 11 flights of stairs climbed. A total of 16 flights for the day, including those in my building since our elevator is down again.  On Wednesday when we had the food truck, I helped those on 2nd and third floors to get their groceries to their apartments - making for 11 flights climbed that day.  My unintentional workout.

I’m not sure how the weekend will pan out, but Charlotte competes in a swim meet that I would like to see and the twins play basketball.  Poor Joey will be crated again but I’ll make sure to play with him a lot today so he gets enough exercise.

I had two appointments earlier in the week - one to give a saliva sample to the clinic so I could participate in a DNA study that they are conducting to create a health database. The results are going to be interesting to me and I also hope they help to develop new medical treatments.  

My second appointment was to purchase a prepaid cremation plan so my sons don’t have to worry about it when I die.  I have no plans to do that soon, but this has been on the back burner for a long time and I finally made the appointment and took care of it.  Thanks to Susie Hooverson for giving me some much needed guidance about what to look for to get the best protection for when the time comes.

Friday, January 27, 2023, MN

There sure hasn’t been much going on around here that is worth writing about.  I still try to fill my days with some sort of craft activity, cleaning, my fitness routine, getting outdoors and playing with Joey.  Starting tomorrow our weather is going to get cold again, hovering just above zero so we will be cooped up indoors again for at least the next week.

My neighbor, Elaine invited me to join her for dinner at Willy McCoys last Thursday and it sure was nice to be in a restaurant having a beer and a nice dinner with a friend.  We are going again tonight.

Last Saturday, I went to watch the twins play basketball and that was sure fun to see how they work together with the team - and the two of them worked together and did some pretty good passes and dribbles. They each made baskets but their team lost by 8 points.  Charlotte was at a swim meet and I heard that she did really good too.  She got her first Blue Ribbon on the 100 meter backstroke competition and placed third, fourth, and fifth in some others.  

I worked with another resident to organize a Papa Johns pizza potluck on Wednesday, put up a sign-up sheet and got 12 people signed up.  I ordered the pizza for delivery and ended up holding the bag because we counted on those 12 people, charged accordingly, and only seven showed up plus three who didn’t sign up showed up and paid.  Also, I was unable to get any coupons, so the pizza was pricey and wasn’t even very good. It ended up costing me $20 for my few pieces that I ate.  I guess people don’t understand how this works - that if you sign up you show up and if you don’t sign up, you don’t show up, as the food is ordered according to how many sign up. If there is a next time, I will definitely make this clear and figure the cost once everyone is there to eat.

I got a haircut on Monday and while I was waiting to go in the building, I noticed this giant pile of snow in the parking lot.  Judging by how the girders on the utility pole were placed, I figured it had to be 35-40’ high - definitely higher that the roofs of the stores in the shopping center.  When I was checking out, I mentioned it to the manager and she said that the snow removal company offered to move it for a fee and she said “why didn’t they just do that in the first place”.  There is a vacant storefront at the end of the center with a huge empty parking lot.  What a world we live in these days.

Speaking of ‘what a world’, the news is full of crazy stuff right now - several mass shootings, 5 police officers charged with murder, assault, and several other charges for killing a man during a routine traffic stop, Donald Trump’s possession of classified documents - now have been found at the President’s home and former office and also at the home and office of the former Vice President Pence, and then there is Rep George Santos who lied to his constituents about his finances, his character, his education, his sexual background all through his campaign but refuses to back down when called out by his fellow Representatives.  As far as the classified documents are concerned, I believe that many others (senators, representatives, judges, governors) probably have them on hand too.  Again, what a world!

Wednesday, January 18, 2023, MN

The temps around here have been in the 30s, even up to 37° on Sunday, making for a nice day to go for a walk. Since then, we have had rain and wintry mixes of snow and rain. I am still wearing my Yak Trax when I go out and about, as the snow has not melted from the sidewalks and they are uneven.  At the dog park yesterday, I got off the walking path (also difficult to even see because of white on white) and stepped into the wet, mushy snow almost up to my knees. Yuck! Joey didn’t mind one bit and just trodded through in order to get to the next interesting smell or dog.

I learned early this week that our Assistant Manager is leaving her position for another and there will be a farewell party for her on Friday.  I have heard that she is leaving because of the new Manager’s approach - too bad, she has been here for 10 years and is very well liked.  I wish her well.

Ben had an appointment in Edina on Monday morning, so I met him for coffee at Rustica. It sure was nice to sit and chat uninterrupted for an hour.

I finally found a small, square dining table on Facebook Marketplace yesterday and went to pick it up in Farmington. Deb helped me get it out of my car and into the apartment, then loaded the old one into my car. I have it listed on Marketplace now.  The new table is about the size of a card table and gives me another 10” of floor space. I can now seat 4 people at the table.

We made some cute valentines cards on Monday with the Stampin Up group and had a nice time chatting with the ladies. Pat fell on some black ice as she was approaching the building and they now have crime tape around the area. You just never know where there might be a little patch of ice.

Monday, January 9, 2023, MN

I ended up cleaning Ben and Jill’s house on Friday last week (usually on Thursday) as we had a bit of a miscommunication on days and it worked out just fine. Thursday was super cold and I was glad that I didn’t have to leave home and one more day of recovery from the shoveling I did was just fine.  Joey hasn’t been getting much exercise, so I’ve been playing ball with him in the stairway where he is closed in by doors and gets a good run up and down the stairs. I get a few flights in myself. It would probably be ok to play with him in the hallway but I worry that a resident will come out of their apartment and trip over him or be pestered with his jumping and playfulness.

I made vegetable beef soup again on Saturday and invited Leslie to join me. We had a really nice chat and it feels so good to share a meal and have some conversation with it. She appreciated the invite too. I now have lots of servings of Soup in my freezer.

Joey got a bath on Saturday and a haircut on Sunday. I clipped him a little shorter this time but I’m not sure that I like it.  He got to the point of being impatient so I was wrapping up when I grabbed a little tuft of hair on his hind foot and cut right into the pad. Blood was splattering everywhere - on the mat, on my floor, on my couch, as he was impatient and scurrying around licking the wound.  I took him outside, thinking the cold snow might stop the bleeding and Ben arrived for a short visit while we were out.  Ben helped me to get a bandage on it and Joey kept it on until evening when the bleeding had stopped.  What a mess! I did learn that peroxide followed by a cold water rinse dissolves the blood and removes the stain. It worked really well - I could actually see the bubbling peroxide turn pink as it lifted the stain out of the fabric. Magical! And now I have to regain his confidence so I can finish the haircut that I started yesterday (face, legs and feet and tummy).

We went to the dog park today, as the temps have risen to almost 30°. It was nice - I walked the circle around the large dog park, he ran in front of me, coming back to check on me every now and then, and he played and played with some other dogs that were there - a whole variety of breeds. He is so much calmer after he gets a chance to run and play.

Thursday, January 5, 2023, MN - Up Nort

I’ve had about enough of clearing cars and shoveling pathways to their doors. We ended up with a total of about 15”.  I went out about 1.5 hours ago to clear off my car and got called over to another part of the lot where Irma was clearing her car, she fell, and injured her hip and possibly her arm. Mary stayed with her to wait for EMTs to arrive and I finished clearing her car and got it parked on the street (complete lot cleanup tomorrow). Irma was taken from here on a stretcher in an ambulance.

I finished clearing my car and saw that Fran’s daughter was clearing her car, so I helped her out. I was just heading in the door when Leslie came out to move her car and I helped her clear her car and the area under her tires so she could back out.  I wasn’t alone - I saw Steve, Mary, and Lee, Deb were all out there helping folks.  I’m done. It’s Advil and nap time. 

I sure hope that I have learned an important lesson through this experience and that I am willing to give up my car at the point where I can’t maintain it or take care of it during this part of the winter.  I wonder if some of these people who can hardly walk should even have a car.  I understand the loss of independence but also feel like there are other options that might even be more economical than keeping a car.  

Wednesday, January 4, 2023, MN - the winter wonderland.

Happy New Year to all.  I celebrated a little.  We had a New Year’s Eve party with about 15 attendees, music, and lots of snacks.  It started at 6pm and everything was cleaned up and put away by 8:30 and I was in bed by 9:30.  It was nice to see folks in good spirits and outside the daily routine. 

I did some shopping on Monday and picked up a roll-up puzzle mat so I could get started on the puzzle that I got from Lois and Dennis for Christmas.  I started it that night, then worked on it a good part of the day yesterday (you might say I was obsessive), and will probably wrap it up before I go to bed tonight.  I did it! Two missing pieces - I think Joey had a snack.

I just came in from clearing off another car after we got 13” of wet snow over the last two days.  I cleared mine off twice yesterday and earlier this afternoon, then took care of Joann’s.  Deb and I got together this afternoon and decided to go down and help some folks out, so she did mostly shoveling so people could get to their doors and clearing the rear so they could back out - all cars have to be out of lot for a complete lot cleanup ( whenever there is more than 4” of snow. What a mess!

My car (right) had been cleared twice before this.