Jim on Doing Something about it

"I grew up in Saint Louis. I came to D.C. for the first time in 2004 as an intern. Then, I moved back to Saint Louis and applied for the Peace Corps. I went to Africa with the Peace Corps and came back to D.C. in November 2007. I was living in Brookland and then moved to Shaw in May 2008.

"Before the snow, I hadn't met any of my neighbors, except for the people above us. Through the snow storm, I have met most of the people on the block. I am from the Mid-West and we know that when it starts to snow, it is best to shovel every few hours. I have probably dug the same stretch three or four times during the first day or two. I knew it wouldn't be dug out because I knew the businesses on our street don't typically dig out their walkways and it would be around for a while. There are a lot of older people in this neighborhood and personally, I wanted to be able to get to the Metro, so I did it. People thanked me. I really confused a lot of the homeless people in the area. They were carrying around shovels and digging people out for money. They couldn't figure out why I was digging out someone else's property and not getting paid. I had a lot of long conversations with them. I don't know if they thought I was stealing their business, but it was clear that these walkways were going to stay covered unless someone did something.

"I went through about 400 lbs of salt during the storms. I have about 40 lbs left and I am just getting the corners. A lot of people walk through here and there is a lot of vacant property. They dig things out eventually, but not fast enough for I don't know what the laws are for digging out your property, but if you have a sidewalk in front of your property, you should be digging it out. Rather than just be angry about it, it is better to just go out and do something about it. I like being active. It is probably part of the volunteer spirit and finding something to do when you are home and stir crazy from all of the snow."

Courtney and Nancy on Cross-Country Skiing

Nancy - "Courtney and I talked about going cross-country skiing in the city when it started snowing. I did it once before, but this was her first time. This morning, Courtney skied over to my house on V Street from Adams Morgan. We skied together over to the Metro and took it to the Navy Memorial. Then we head over to the Mall to ski. It was incredible! The Mall was a field of white. We saw a couple of snowshoers and skiers, but we pretty much had to forge our own trails. We were really happy to do it and people were excited to see us skiing in the middle of the city. We'd like to try other places to ski this week, maybe in Rock Creek Park. D.C. is a great place to cross-country ski, as it is nice and flat."

Courtney - "People really got into seeing us skiing on the Mall, especially the European tourists. They said, 'Now that is how you should be getting around today!' I have walked the Mall a number of times and I was there for Inauguration. But something about skiing there, including past the place where I stood during the Obama Inauguration, was enchanting. The Mall had a little magic to it with all of the snow. You know, coming home, we felt like we were in a ski town in Colorado. We were standing with our skis at the bus stop, like it was a shuttle taking us back to the hotel. In this case, it was the 54 bus taking us to get Bloody Marys at Marvin."

Nancy, left, is pictured with Courtney.

Paul on Getting Better before it Gets Worse

"I'm not sure exactly how old I am, but I know that I am past sixty. I am a native Washingtonian, but I have lived in a lot of other places. Every time I get away, something always brings me back. Usually, someone is sick or dying and I need to come back and take care of things. When I am here, it is hard for me to get away again. I came back recently because my aunt died and have been stuck here ever since. So far, it has been a rough road. As soon as I get back on my feet, I am going back to south Florida. You got only one season down there and that's summer. Don't need to worry about no winter clothes and all of that. I like it here, but I prefer to be in South Florida. You get an abundance of sun and fresh fruit there. I have coconuts and mangoes right outside my house there. I mean, look here, you ain't gonna see no mango trees growing anywhere in D.C. You tell me, where'd you rather be?

"I mean, I still have a lot of loved ones in the area. I have brothers and sisters, even kids here so that is another draw. Every time I come back through, I pass on some wisdom to my kids from my travels. I teach them how to survive here because this city can be tough. Now that I am back, I live in a low-income building, but the neighborhood is changing and the rent keeps going up. And, my apartment is a mess! I mean, it rains in my bathroom from all of the leaks in the ceiling. You sit on the toilet and it is raining on you. Yesterday, I got more shower on the toilet than in the tub. They won't make no changes because they are trying to drive me out so that they can kick up the rent for someone else. But, it's gonna get better before it's gonna get worse. At least, that's what I'm praying for until I get back to south Florida again."