Humboldt Park Woman Declares 'No Dibs,' Shovels Entire Block

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A West Side woman wants to put an end to the Chicago tradition of claiming "dibs" on parking spots shoveled out after snowstorms.

Jamie Lynn Ferguson, 29, took off work at a the Breakthrough Urban Ministries shelter and after-school program on Thursday, and spent the day shoveling out as many parking spaces on her block as she could -- both sides of the 2600 block of West Evergreen Avenue.

Jamie Lynn Ferguson said no one on her block could park on Thursday unless they'd called dibs, so she took the day off work to shovel the whole block. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson said her dog, Zelda, didn't understand what all the fuss was about. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

This is the first spot Ferguson dug out on Thursday. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

In the first act of kindness for her as Ferguson shoveled her block, a school bus driver offered her a smile while driving kids to school Thursday morning. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson said she had a bit of shovel envy as a city plow went down the street. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

After starting her day with the smaller shovel on the right, a neighbor offered Ferguson a better tool for the job. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Three spots into her effort to dig out, Ferguson thought it was time to do more shoveling, and less tweeting. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson knew the importance of staying hydrated, even on a cold day, as she took a five-minute water break early on. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson said one drawback to her effort was mixing the ugly, dirty snow into all the pretty white snow. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

This was the fifth spot Ferguson dug out. In her words, "This is gonna be a toughy." (Credit: Instagram/JamiePie)

One of Ferguson's happy neighbors parks their Jeep after she dug out the third spot of the day. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson said this picture shows a "perfect example of this silliness" on her block. Her neighbor shoveled only his side of the stoop they share. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson said her dog, Zelda, gave a stamp of approval to the sixth spot she shoveled. (Credit: Instagram/jamiepie)

Ferguson said she spotted someone working harder than her on Thursday: a postal carrier. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson took a break for soup after shoveling seven spots on her block. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson's best friend Katie and Katie's dog Dipset brought her hot chocolate to help warm up. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

After a lunch break, Ferguson prepared to go back to shoveling what she described as "outer space snow." (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Four hours into Ferguson's shoveling effort, this is how much she had left to do. (Credit: Instagram/jamiepie)

"The sweet, sweet sight of concrete" as Ferguson finishes another spot. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson's neighbor Phil watches from his porch as she shovels their block. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Before and after photo of one of the last spots Ferguson shoveled on Thursday. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

Ferguson takes a break in a chair one of her neighbors put out for "dibs" after digging out the entire spot. (Credit: Instagram/jamiepie)

The same school bus that drove past Ferguson on Thursday morning returns at the end of the school day. (Credit: Twitter/@AuntieSweetLeaf)

This is the last spot Ferguson shoveled on Thursday. (Credit: Instagram/JamiePie)

This is how Ferguson's block looked when she finished shoveling. (Credit: Instagram/JamiePIe)

She said, on Wednesday, she "saw neighbors 'fighting over spots, putting the chairs out for dibs, and I thought 'this is silly.'"

So, the Coal City native, who has lived in Chicago for five years, told her bosses she wanted to take the next day off to shovel everyone's parking space and she was more than encouraged.

"They said, 'You are awesome! Have fun!'" Ferguson said.

Ferguson live-tweeted her day of shoveling @AuntieSweetLeaf. She declared #nodibs in her posts, and received overwhelming support and well-wishes.

She didn't exactly clear spots down to the pavement, but she made it much easier for cars to get in and out of parking spaces.

Ferguson said she "got some offers for help, but then they realized they didn't have shovels, so they couldn't actually help."

Neighbor Tim Roche called Ferguson a "Good Samaritan.

"Somebody ought to give her a medal. Let's get Rahm down here and have a presentation," Roche said.

Neighbor Truniekia Franklin said it's amazing Ferguson did that for her neighbors. Franklin said it warms her heart.

Ferguson says she'd just like to see the whole "dibs" thing go away.

"If everybody just did a little part, then the whole street would be cleared," she said.

She said she hopes her work inspires neighbors to think differently how they treat each other when the weather is so bad.

Humboldt Park