YOU’VE HEARD of spring fever? Well, I get winter fever. I nearly broke out in hives last week when all that snow was trucked into San Francisco to build a giant ski jump on Fillmore Street. It got me thinking about a reoccurring dream I’ve had, where I’m snowboarding down Shepherd Canyon Road during a freak winter storm. The road is so slick it’s closed to traffic (remember when this actually happened a few decades ago?) and folks are bringing out saucers and skis and even pieces of cardboard to fly down the steep hairpin turns.
I suppose I’ll never realize my dream with all this global warming going on — unless someone comes up with a mega-bucks promotion to build a giant hills slalom course. But after last week’s stunt across the Bay, it might just be possible.

READER’S CORNER: A flurry of feedback has come in regarding the Sept. 23 column about uneven sidewalks. Reader Hope Salver said she was “extremely upset” when I didn’t also mention the lack of sidewalks around Montclair. She says that with obesity on the rise, it’s a crime that there aren’t more pedestrian walkways to schools and the village.
Then there’s a word of caution from reader Tom Dryden, who said we have to be careful about reporting sidewalk problems caused by tree roots. “When the city responds to such a report, the standard procedure is to cut down the tree,” he commented, adding that sometimes the city cuts down all the trees on the block. “You must insist that the tree be left alone, or the street may end up looking like East 14th,” he said.

Speaking of safety, reader Anne Nunno asked why there isn’t more handicapped parking in Montclair. At the very least, she’d like to see a spot in front of the two major drugstores in town, where disabled people often fill their prescriptions. Anne, I’ve forwarded your concerns to the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council for their thoughts. Stay tuned.

TEEN HANGOUT: You know your town is sleepy when the big night-time hangout for teens is the Safeway parking lot. Neighbors near the grocery store tell me they can hardly sleep when the music is blaring and the tires are squealing in the upper lot. Why this spot? Nobody is sure but one neighbor says he overheard a security guard at Albertson’s telling teens if they wanted to hang out — go to Safeway. That’s the spirit — just push the problem down the street.
By the way, Safeway manager Bill Scramstad says he’s aware of the problem and hopes neighbors will call the store and the police when they have a complaint.

‘POOLING’ RESOURCES: At least one hills pool is getting into the swim of things when it comes to Katrina donations. The Hills Swim and Tennis Club is not only giving cash, but they donated a giant bin of lost and found items to hurricane victims. Among the throngs of T-shirts, towels and flip flops — were dozens of swimsuits.

COOKING WITH GAS: We’re all on the run these days, but hills mom Linda Safir wins the prize for multi-tasking. Running late the other day, she actually cooked dinner for 30 St. Mary’s High School football players in her car — while she was driving. Yes, the sausage and peppers were simmering in the skillet (she had an adapter in her cigarette lighter) while she was stuck in traffic on Interstate 80. All the while, a tantalizing steam was wafting from her vehicle, no doubt causing drivers to go wild with hunger. Now that’s what I call meals on wheels.