Can anybody explain to me why nobody uses the Greene County Parks? They all appear to be very well kept, yet even on holidays are virtually empty.
30 comments:
Anonymous
said...
You want to go swimming with your kids at a gravel pit? That went out in the 50's. You want to go to 6/7 Hills Park and get ripped offf? You want to go to Squirrel Hollow and have to talk to that guy in the outhouse basement? People are sick and tired of that crap. They're staying home. I told you guys that before.
Yes, while national and state parks across the rest of the nation experience a renaissance of increased activity, with record-setting attendance, Greene County residents choose to stay home. Odd.
There is something...I can not come up with a good word for it,yet...that seems to effect all Jefferson residents. It is just hard to get them to do anything out of their routine. They want to go to their homes and sit. Nothing else. Suggest going anywhere (other than their house) and you can see them cringe. Oh...they go to Des Moines once every six months and they act like they are Admiral Frick'n Bird.
These parks around Jefferson are somewhat small, but are kept up very well. And...unlike about any other parks in the nation...you can be totally alone in these parks.
Yeah, I know...But I can be alone in my house! Okay, Admiral, go knock yourself out.
My favorite park right now - Hyde Park. But at eight minutes from Jefferson the travel time is prohibitive.
Perhaps antisocial elitism is a phobia - the fear of running into someone from below your social/economic class.
Going to a park or to any public place, one would risk having to mingle with lesser folks. I'm sure going to church on Sunday creates a huge quandary with some people. That would explain why they sit in the same pew week after week, year after year, surrounded only by their friends.
I think that there are a lot of people who choose to live here in Jefferson because they can be important here; they can be somebody. Put them in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, or L.A. and they would have an ego hemorrhage because they aren't anybody; no one pays any special attention to them. In Jefferson they can be snooty because they are a big fish in a small pond, deserved or not. There are a lot of "hangers on" and wannabes, too. Hard to believe, isn't it? Anyway, if they went to Squirrel Hollow with their sorority wife they drug here from college or who knows where, and their best friend from high school walked up out of a tent with a beer in his hand and no shirt, he/she would have sensory/ego/upper crust overload. So they don't go anywhere this could happen. That's what we're dealing with here. I was born, raised, and live here in Jefferson, follow this website, and never thought I'd post on this blog. I had to though, because this "upper crust clique attitude" is ridiculous in a town this small. What's worse is it's been around forever and will never change. These people won't even think I'm talking about them.
I don't think it is antisocial elitism. I do not think they even know themselves they are doing it. They are not avoiding people, they just have staying at home as what they will do unless you come up with one or more compelling reasons for them to change their routine. They see no conflict in asking me to travel a few thousand miles to see them, but refuse to go somewhere with me because "it's clear across town"...or God forbid...way over in Carroll! Christ...just ask someone from Jefferson to go to Carroll with you sometime! It will take you at the very minimum one hour to convince them. Don't believe me...just try it sometime. The world record is 47 minutes...set in 1977.
I think you are absolutely correct with your observations. The other side of the coin are the people who are victimized by these "elite". Some people in Jefferson are treated like dirt...and have been all their lives. All they would have to do is move to any other town and they would be many, many times happier.
I think the fact that the "Country Club" is now a public golf course is hilarious. I wonder where they now meet to convince each other of their "greatness"...or put another way "I am a top fiancial genius, my Dad is so lucky that he hired me."
As Ingrid says, I don't even think that these people realize they are a part of that group. Although if you ask them if they have been visiting any area north of the square recently, they would surely wrinkle their nose.
Jefferson has a social structure very much like the caste system from India, just a bit more informal. People know where they stand, or where they "wannabe." For the lower castes of Jefferson, living there is synonomous with depression. They wake up every day and nothing changes, never seems to improve. They work, they come home and stay in their homes. Why go to a park, they might come face to face with someone from the upper castes, who would more than likely pack up and leave.
With the private country club now a public golf course, the upper castes have a similar dilemna. If they go out, say to a park, they run the risk of having a picnic next to some less desirable folks from a lower caste. They, too, decide to stay indoors of their own homes or homes of select friends. Attending church is where they are most likely to come into contact with the less desirable castes. However, their pews have been polished by their a**es for years, decades. It's a comfort zone.
The answer to a happier life for the lower castes of Jefferson is...move away, anywhere else. The grass is so much greener on the other side of the fence, it's ridiculous. God forbid you die and end up buried in Jefferson.
My favorite park nearby was Springbrook State Park in Guthrie County. I always thought it was prettier than the parks in Greene County, plus it had a trail that formed a loop around the lake.
If no one is utilizing the parks in Greene County, perhaps they should close all but one and focus their resources on it. I'm not sure what they'd do to make any particular park more attractive to residents or non-residents. Local farmers would be happy to plow under any unused park land for corn or soybean crops.
There's a point in time where it's not worth the money to maintain any park if it's not being utilized.
Let me make this clear...if Yosemite Park was one mile west of Scranton...people from Jefferson would NOT go there.
I agree that at some point they will probably close some of those parks. I seriously think they could close Squirrel Hollow and Seven Hills and nobody would know about. And forget about Hyde Park being on ANYBODY'S radar! I suspect that less than 20% of the adults in Jefferson have ever been there...or even know for sure how to get there.
Spring Lake Park is 240 acres in size and pretty much flat. There is a resident park ranger at the park. If very few people are using it, it has to be losing money. As Verin said, nobody wants to swim in an old gravel pit lake. It's time to get rid of it. Sell the land to farmers. Grain farmers have little to do 11 months out of the year. They can fill in the lake and cut down the trees. Farmers seem to hate trees, so we know they'd enjoy that phase of the reclamation. 240 acres would produce 37,200 bushels of corn (@155 bushel per acre). The real positive here is, if corn prices drop below price support levels, that means more federal money flowing into Greene County. Why should the taxpayers of Greene County support a park when the Federal government will be there to support a farmer? Plow it under!
The problems with the small parks in Greene County might be:
1. It's buggy in west central Iowa. There are mosquitos, some of which carry the West Nile virus. There are gnats and flies and then there are those scary cicada killer wasps that show up in late July, early August. One does have to battle the annoying bugs throughout the spring, summer and fall.
2. The weather. It's hot, it's cold, it's wet, it's dry. How many days of 72 degree temps and free of annoying bugs at the same time? Maybe a handful, and I wouldn't be surprised in some years none.
3. A history of problems at the various parks, usually involving young folks and alcohol. I suspect most of the parks have had their drug use problems. There was the gay issue at the roadside park west of Jefferson years ago. It's probably not appealing for the people of Greene County to visit any of the parks. Lonely parks can also be dangerous parks.
4. The parks just aren't that exciting to bring folks back, or even for a first look. The word gets around..."there's nothing there, nothing to do..."
5. A long developed culture in Jefferson of not being outdoorsy. How many people in Jefferson have a backpack or a tent? How many people in Jefferson ride a bicycle on a regular basis? How many people in Jefferson jog or walk on a regular basis? How many people swim laps at the swimming pool? Maybe a handful of "weirdos" might do one or two of the above things. I do all of the above, but where I live, the streets are crowded with walkers, joggers, bicyclists. Most of the time at the YMCA, I have to share one of the lap lanes with one, sometimes two other people. I live in Iowa, just not Jefferson.
I remember Earl Lane quite clearly. I used to come across him often on my paper route or see him pedal by the Little League field. He used to live near Adams and Pine streets. I think I remember Gladys and her very slow motion trike bike. Those two were probably the last of the cycling enthusiasts from Jefferson.
Not to put a damper on the anti-enthusiasm thread going on, but......
There are more adults swimming laps before the pool opens for the kids than you might imagine, and many who swim during family time in the evenings when kids are required to be accompanied by parents.
We also had 130 kids out for swim team this summer. I personally have a daughter who swam 2-3 hours every day during swim season, and she wasn't swimming alone.
There are many serious bike riders in town, many who ride the trail every day there is cooperative weather, many who ride past my house every day, and I live on a side street.
There are lots of walkers and joggers - the track inside the rec center is well-utilized and many utilize the sidewalk out past the high school. I lived across from the school and never had a nice (and some not so nice!) night when people weren't coming past my house walking and jogging.
For a town just barely over 4000 we have a lot going on. No, you can't get fast food any time of the day or night, but I don't miss it very often. No, you can't go to the grocery store on Sunday unless you drive 30 miles, but Sundays should be for rest and relaxation. You plan ahead. If there is something I really need, I can usually find it, or ..... SHOCK AND SURPRISE... borrow it from my neighbors - who I actually know well enough to ask to borrow something!!!!! I lived away for 21 years, in cities as large as Huntsville, Alabama, and I couldn't wait to get back. I HOPE I don't ever have to live anywhere else. My daughter goes to a great school, can be involved in nearly any activity she wants to pursue, and is not pigeon-holed into a particular group, like she would have been in the larger communities we lived in. Do I think there are disadvantages for her? Yes, there is always room for improvement in schools - I work in education - but JS does a very good job of finding 21st Century ways to make those opportunities available to our kids.
I am able to be involved in a variety of community organizations - and I don't mean golfing and sorority. I have a great church where I am making a difference and contributing to my larger community.
Oh, yea - the parks ...... I TOTALLY agree that they are under-utilized by Greene County residents. I think you have it backwards - they would rather go somewhere else than stay at home, and they see those parks as staying at home. Spring Lake is full of campers who come there from other counties. I wish more people would discover Squirrel Hollow and Hyde Park - they are hidden treasures. I agree that at some point they may become too expensive to maintain and we will lose these spaces.
Ok, climbing down off my soap box ... or high horse ... depending on your view point.
Whoa! Let me retract supposition #5 from one of my above posts. I had no idea Jefferson was a mecca for exercise enthusiasts. I'm glad to hear the pool is busy for both children and adults. I'm still not too keen on paying a fee to ride the bike trail, mostly because I've never ever had to pay a fee to ride a bike trail. I'm sure Greene County has their reasons.
Speaking of exercise, I just finished mowing my yard for the 28th time this year. It was the perfect year rain-wise for grass. Time to bet back to my piano. I'm working on Barry Manilow's Mandy. I have the fingering down, just need to finish committing it to memory. After that, I'll head off to the YMCA to swim some laps. Sounds like Jefferson needs an indoor pool.
All this talk about planning ahead for Sunday sounds strangely familiar. I think it could be a quote stolen from Sonny, Georgia's beloved gov. in response to ending Georgia's outdated blue laws. Why anyone would think that it is OK to borrow food from your neighbors on Sundays is beyond me. On a positive note, it is refreshing to hear from someone who thinks that Huntsville is a big city. Did you run into Andy & Opie?
Apparently you haven't been to Huntsville - I think 150,000+ qualifies as a city, albeit not a large city. As for Andy and Opie, they probably wouldn't feel very comfortable there since it is predominantly transplants from other parts of the country working for high-tech and military contractors and at the Space Center. Very cool place - you should visit sometime.
Perhaps you don't enjoy friendships with your neighbors, wherever it is you have landed. I can ask mine for the proverbial cup of sugar or egg, and even share an ENTIRE MEAL with them occasionally! Their kids are welcome to hang out at our house if their parents are gone, or like mine when she locks herself out of the house. My neighbor actually gives my kid a ride to school EVERY DAY and expects nothing in return except friendship. My neighbor kid mows other yards in the neighborhood because he enjoys it and it's a nice thing to do!
Neighborhood - a novel concept - you should try it sometime!!!!
Those are great posts, Laura. I thought long and hard about whether or not I should respond to them, as I don't want to discourage anyone from joining in, and when people happen to disagree, we find it entertaining, and often educational.
Still, I think I need to step in here and defend our readers a little bit. Some of the facts you state in your posts need to be examined closer.
The swimming pool in Jefferson was always a big attraction, but you are replying to people who live in larger urban areas and actually have 40 or 50 people on the high school swim team. I believe Jefferson has just a few. The figure of 130 must include all ages, which makes more sense.
Now, I have to tell you, I go to Jefferson with staff photographers on a regular basis. We spend at least a full day there each time. I was there over Bell Tower, and during several recent holiday weekends. I can safely say, without any reservations, that Spring Lake is NOT full of campers. The east side of the lake has been completely devoid of visitors each time, the beach area was unused, and there were at most 5 or 6 campers along the west edge of the lake. This is a far cry from the activity that took place there 20-30 years ago.
We walked through areas of town, and drove randomly through town on each visit. I have yet to see one single walker, jogger, or biker. I don't doubt that you see them, though. What I think is that you see a couple of people here and there. I definitely would disagree that Jefferson is a hotbed of physical fitness.
Also, try to understand where bbqking is coming from. He blogs from Atlanta, and a town smaller than Des Moines would seem small to him. The same holds true with our bloggers from L.A. or elsewhere. I hear lots of good things about Huntsville; I'm sorry you preferred to move.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with getting to know your neighbors. You apparently like where you are at quite a bit. You surely realize that this environment is not for everyone, however. Planning ahead is something we all do, all of the time. What you are describing is not planning ahead. In Jefferson, you are completely uable to change or adapt your plan as changes arise. You are locked in. If last minute visitors arrive Saturday night, you cannot adjust. This is what Tars Tarkus was referring to.
{Laura said} "Perhaps you don't enjoy friendships with your neighbors, wherever it is you have landed."
Incorrect supposition, dear. I've read nothing here that would remotely intimate the lack of neighborhood friendships with the other posters on the board, nor do I believe that Jefferson has a lock on "friendly neighbors." You may have bought a house in an area with families similar to yours, particularly other children close to your child's age. You probably don't live north of the tracks or in one of the very old, less desirable neighborhoods of Jefferson.
I get along fine with some of my neighbors, sharing meals on a regular basis with a neighbor to the west of me. It's fun and interesting to compare our different cooking styles. On bad snow days, I don't hesitate to go out and clear out as many driveways as I can. Yep, I'm the guy with the orange 2-stage Ariens snowblower.
I live in a community of around 12,000,000. I will often leave my house without locking the doors. Not as much as when I lived in Rock Island, IL and quite frankly never really knew where the keys to the house were. I left on vacation a few times without locking up. No problem...good neighborhood.
My current neighbors are very nice and we all get along (I think...a few do not speak English, but I'm pretty sure they are being nice). Do we share meals? No. But I do have one neighbor whose two cats will come inside to eat breakfast nearly everyday.
As for Huntsville...I have spent a few months in Alabama (Birmingham, Montgomery and Dothan) and have never heard anything but good things about it. Never made it there myself, though.
Anyway...thanks for jumping in Laura. We appreciate all feedback.
30 comments:
You want to go swimming with your kids at a gravel pit? That went out in the 50's. You want to go to 6/7 Hills Park and get ripped offf? You want to go to Squirrel Hollow and have to talk to that guy in the outhouse basement? People are sick and tired of that crap. They're staying home. I told you guys that before.
Yes, while national and state parks across the rest of the nation experience a renaissance of increased activity, with record-setting attendance, Greene County residents choose to stay home. Odd.
There is something...I can not come up with a good word for it,yet...that seems to effect all Jefferson residents. It is just hard to get them to do anything out of their routine. They want to go to their homes and sit. Nothing else. Suggest going anywhere (other than their house) and you can see them cringe. Oh...they go to Des Moines once every six months and they act like they are Admiral Frick'n Bird.
These parks around Jefferson are somewhat small, but are kept up very well. And...unlike about any other parks in the nation...you can be totally alone in these parks.
Yeah, I know...But I can be alone in my house! Okay, Admiral, go knock yourself out.
My favorite park right now - Hyde Park. But at eight minutes from Jefferson the travel time is prohibitive.
antisocial elitism.
Perhaps antisocial elitism is a phobia - the fear of running into someone from below your social/economic class.
Going to a park or to any public place, one would risk having to mingle with lesser folks. I'm sure going to church on Sunday creates a huge quandary with some people. That would explain why they sit in the same pew week after week, year after year, surrounded only by their friends.
I think that there are a lot of people who choose to live here in Jefferson because they can be important here; they can be somebody. Put them in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, or L.A. and they would have an ego hemorrhage because they aren't anybody; no one pays any special attention to them. In Jefferson they can be snooty because they are a big fish in a small pond, deserved or not. There are a lot of "hangers on" and wannabes, too. Hard to believe, isn't it? Anyway, if they went to Squirrel Hollow with their sorority wife they drug here from college or who knows where, and their best friend from high school walked up out of a tent with a beer in his hand and no shirt, he/she would have sensory/ego/upper crust overload. So they don't go anywhere this could happen. That's what we're dealing with here.
I was born, raised, and live here in Jefferson, follow this website, and never thought I'd post on this blog. I had to though, because this "upper crust clique attitude" is ridiculous in a town this small. What's worse is it's been around forever and will never change. These people won't even think I'm talking about them.
I don't think it is antisocial elitism. I do not think they even know themselves they are doing it. They are not avoiding people, they just have staying at home as what they will do unless you come up with one or more compelling reasons for them to change their routine.
They see no conflict in asking me to travel a few thousand miles to see them, but refuse to go somewhere with me because "it's clear across town"...or God forbid...way over in Carroll! Christ...just ask someone from Jefferson to go to Carroll with you sometime! It will take you at the very minimum one hour to convince them. Don't believe me...just try it sometime. The world record is 47 minutes...set in 1977.
Ingrid -
I think you are absolutely correct with your observations. The other side of the coin are the people who are victimized by these "elite". Some people in Jefferson are treated like dirt...and have been all their lives. All they would have to do is move to any other town and they would be many, many times happier.
I think the fact that the "Country Club" is now a public golf course is hilarious. I wonder where they now meet to convince each other of their "greatness"...or put another way "I am a top fiancial genius, my Dad is so lucky that he hired me."
As Ingrid says, I don't even think that these people realize they are a part of that group. Although if you ask them if they have been visiting any area north of the square recently, they would surely wrinkle their nose.
Jefferson has a social structure very much like the caste system from India, just a bit more informal. People know where they stand, or where they "wannabe." For the lower castes of Jefferson, living there is synonomous with depression. They wake up every day and nothing changes, never seems to improve. They work, they come home and stay in their homes. Why go to a park, they might come face to face with someone from the upper castes, who would more than likely pack up and leave.
With the private country club now a public golf course, the upper castes have a similar dilemna. If they go out, say to a park, they run the risk of having a picnic next to some less desirable folks from a lower caste. They, too, decide to stay indoors of their own homes or homes of select friends. Attending church is where they are most likely to come into contact with the less desirable castes. However, their pews have been polished by their a**es for years, decades. It's a comfort zone.
The answer to a happier life for the lower castes of Jefferson is...move away, anywhere else. The grass is so much greener on the other side of the fence, it's ridiculous. God forbid you die and end up buried in Jefferson.
Trust me...if you go to any of the parks around Jefferson you will run little risk of running into anyone else. Well, other than Dan Sayer.
I was at Spring Lake on the Fourth of July a year ago. For about three hours not one other car was in the entire place.
I agree what everyone is saying about the crappy social structure in Jefferson...but that is not why the parks are empty.
My favorite park nearby was Springbrook State Park in Guthrie County. I always thought it was prettier than the parks in Greene County, plus it had a trail that formed a loop around the lake.
If no one is utilizing the parks in Greene County, perhaps they should close all but one and focus their resources on it. I'm not sure what they'd do to make any particular park more attractive to residents or non-residents. Local farmers would be happy to plow under any unused park land for corn or soybean crops.
There's a point in time where it's not worth the money to maintain any park if it's not being utilized.
Let me make this clear...if Yosemite Park was one mile west of Scranton...people from Jefferson would NOT go there.
I agree that at some point they will probably close some of those parks. I seriously think they could close Squirrel Hollow and Seven Hills and nobody would know about. And forget about Hyde Park being on ANYBODY'S radar! I suspect that less than 20% of the adults in Jefferson have ever been there...or even know for sure how to get there.
Spring Lake Park is 240 acres in size and pretty much flat. There is a resident park ranger at the park. If very few people are using it, it has to be losing money. As Verin said, nobody wants to swim in an old gravel pit lake. It's time to get rid of it. Sell the land to farmers. Grain farmers have little to do 11 months out of the year. They can fill in the lake and cut down the trees. Farmers seem to hate trees, so we know they'd enjoy that phase of the reclamation. 240 acres would produce 37,200 bushels of corn (@155 bushel per acre). The real positive here is, if corn prices drop below price support levels, that means more federal money flowing into Greene County. Why should the taxpayers of Greene County support a park when the Federal government will be there to support a farmer? Plow it under!
The problems with the small parks in Greene County might be:
1. It's buggy in west central Iowa. There are mosquitos, some of which carry the West Nile virus. There are gnats and flies and then there are those scary cicada killer wasps that show up in late July, early August. One does have to battle the annoying bugs throughout the spring, summer and fall.
2. The weather. It's hot, it's cold, it's wet, it's dry. How many days of 72 degree temps and free of annoying bugs at the same time? Maybe a handful, and I wouldn't be surprised in some years none.
3. A history of problems at the various parks, usually involving young folks and alcohol. I suspect most of the parks have had their drug use problems. There was the gay issue at the roadside park west of Jefferson years ago. It's probably not appealing for the people of Greene County to visit any of the parks. Lonely parks can also be dangerous parks.
4. The parks just aren't that exciting to bring folks back, or even for a first look. The word gets around..."there's nothing there, nothing to do..."
5. A long developed culture in Jefferson of not being outdoorsy. How many people in Jefferson have a backpack or a tent? How many people in Jefferson ride a bicycle on a regular basis? How many people in Jefferson jog or walk on a regular basis? How many people swim laps at the swimming pool? Maybe a handful of "weirdos" might do one or two of the above things. I do all of the above, but where I live, the streets are crowded with walkers, joggers, bicyclists. Most of the time at the YMCA, I have to share one of the lap lanes with one, sometimes two other people. I live in Iowa, just not Jefferson.
Or is it more like..."Parks are where you take your kids." If they have no kids, they do not consider going to a park.
Kind of why I think they do not have fireworks at the Bell Tower festival..."Fireworks are for the fourth of July, not the middle of June."
Earl Lane rode his bike regularly; so did Gladys Stougard, but hers was a tricycle.
I remember Earl Lane quite clearly. I used to come across him often on my paper route or see him pedal by the Little League field. He used to live near Adams and Pine streets. I think I remember Gladys and her very slow motion trike bike. Those two were probably the last of the cycling enthusiasts from Jefferson.
Not to put a damper on the anti-enthusiasm thread going on, but......
There are more adults swimming laps before the pool opens for the kids than you might imagine, and many who swim during family time in the evenings when kids are required to be accompanied by parents.
We also had 130 kids out for swim team this summer. I personally have a daughter who swam 2-3 hours every day during swim season, and she wasn't swimming alone.
There are many serious bike riders in town, many who ride the trail every day there is cooperative weather, many who ride past my house every day, and I live on a side street.
There are lots of walkers and joggers - the track inside the rec center is well-utilized and many utilize the sidewalk out past the high school. I lived across from the school and never had a nice (and some not so nice!) night when people weren't coming past my house walking and jogging.
For a town just barely over 4000 we have a lot going on. No, you can't get fast food any time of the day or night, but I don't miss it very often. No, you can't go to the grocery store on Sunday unless you drive 30 miles, but Sundays should be for rest and relaxation. You plan ahead. If there is something I really need, I can usually find it, or ..... SHOCK AND SURPRISE... borrow it from my neighbors - who I actually know well enough to ask to borrow something!!!!!
I lived away for 21 years, in cities as large as Huntsville, Alabama, and I couldn't wait to get back. I HOPE I don't ever have to live anywhere else. My daughter goes to a great school, can be involved in nearly any activity she wants to pursue, and is not pigeon-holed into a particular group, like she would have been in the larger communities we lived in. Do I think there are disadvantages for her? Yes, there is always room for improvement in schools - I work in education - but JS does a very good job of finding 21st Century ways to make those opportunities available to our kids.
I am able to be involved in a variety of community organizations - and I don't mean golfing and sorority. I have a great church where I am making a difference and contributing to my larger community.
Oh, yea - the parks ...... I TOTALLY agree that they are under-utilized by Greene County residents. I think you have it backwards - they would rather go somewhere else than stay at home, and they see those parks as staying at home. Spring Lake is full of campers who come there from other counties. I wish more people would discover Squirrel Hollow and Hyde Park - they are hidden treasures. I agree that at some point they may become too expensive to maintain and we will lose these spaces.
Ok, climbing down off my soap box ... or high horse ... depending on your view point.
Laura -
Great post! Soap box...high horse...whatever...we don't mind.
Whoa! Let me retract supposition #5 from one of my above posts. I had no idea Jefferson was a mecca for exercise enthusiasts. I'm glad to hear the pool is busy for both children and adults. I'm still not too keen on paying a fee to ride the bike trail, mostly because I've never ever had to pay a fee to ride a bike trail. I'm sure Greene County has their reasons.
Speaking of exercise, I just finished mowing my yard for the 28th time this year. It was the perfect year rain-wise for grass. Time to bet back to my piano. I'm working on Barry Manilow's Mandy. I have the fingering down, just need to finish committing it to memory. After that, I'll head off to the YMCA to swim some laps. Sounds like Jefferson needs an indoor pool.
All this talk about planning ahead for Sunday sounds strangely familiar. I think it could be a quote stolen from Sonny, Georgia's beloved gov. in response to ending Georgia's outdated blue laws. Why anyone would think that it is OK to borrow food from your neighbors on Sundays is beyond me. On a positive note, it is refreshing to hear from someone who thinks that Huntsville is a big city. Did you run into Andy & Opie?
Apparently you haven't been to Huntsville - I think 150,000+ qualifies as a city, albeit not a large city. As for Andy and Opie, they probably wouldn't feel very comfortable there since it is predominantly transplants from other parts of the country working for high-tech and military contractors and at the Space Center. Very cool place - you should visit sometime.
Perhaps you don't enjoy friendships with your neighbors, wherever it is you have landed. I can ask mine for the proverbial cup of sugar or egg, and even share an ENTIRE MEAL with them occasionally! Their kids are welcome to hang out at our house if their parents are gone, or like mine when she locks herself out of the house. My neighbor actually gives my kid a ride to school EVERY DAY and expects nothing in return except friendship. My neighbor kid mows other yards in the neighborhood because he enjoys it and it's a nice thing to do!
Neighborhood - a novel concept - you should try it sometime!!!!
Those are great posts, Laura.
I thought long and hard about whether or not I should respond to them, as I don't want to discourage anyone from joining in, and when people happen to disagree, we find it entertaining, and often educational.
Still, I think I need to step in here and defend our readers a little bit. Some of the facts you state in your posts need to be examined closer.
The swimming pool in Jefferson was always a big attraction, but you are replying to people who live in larger urban areas and actually have 40 or 50 people on the high school swim team. I believe Jefferson has just a few. The figure of 130 must include all ages, which makes more sense.
Now, I have to tell you, I go to Jefferson with staff photographers on a regular basis. We spend at least a full day there each time. I was there over Bell Tower, and during several recent holiday weekends. I can safely say, without any reservations, that Spring Lake is NOT full of campers. The east side of the lake has been completely devoid of visitors each time, the beach area was unused, and there were at most 5 or 6 campers along the west edge of the lake. This is a far cry from the activity that took place there 20-30 years ago.
We walked through areas of town, and drove randomly through town on each visit. I have yet to see one single walker, jogger, or biker. I don't doubt that you see them, though. What I think is that you see a couple of people here and there. I definitely would disagree that Jefferson is a hotbed of physical fitness.
Also, try to understand where bbqking is coming from. He blogs from Atlanta, and a town smaller than Des Moines would seem small to him. The same holds true with our bloggers from L.A. or elsewhere. I hear lots of good things about Huntsville; I'm sorry you preferred to move.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with getting to know your neighbors. You apparently like where you are at quite a bit. You surely realize that this environment is not for everyone, however. Planning ahead is something we all do, all of the time. What you are describing is not planning ahead. In Jefferson, you are completely uable to change or adapt your plan as changes arise. You are locked in. If last minute visitors arrive Saturday night, you cannot adjust. This is what Tars Tarkus was referring to.
{Laura said} "Perhaps you don't enjoy friendships with your neighbors, wherever it is you have landed."
Incorrect supposition, dear. I've read nothing here that would remotely intimate the lack of neighborhood friendships with the other posters on the board, nor do I believe that Jefferson has a lock on "friendly neighbors." You may have bought a house in an area with families similar to yours, particularly other children close to your child's age. You probably don't live north of the tracks or in one of the very old, less desirable neighborhoods of Jefferson.
I get along fine with some of my neighbors, sharing meals on a regular basis with a neighbor to the west of me. It's fun and interesting to compare our different cooking styles. On bad snow days, I don't hesitate to go out and clear out as many driveways as I can. Yep, I'm the guy with the orange 2-stage Ariens snowblower.
I have never been able to get to know my neighbors, my yard is too big and I would have to recharge my golf cart before I got over there.
I live in a community of around 12,000,000. I will often leave my house without locking the doors. Not as much as when I lived in Rock Island, IL and quite frankly never really knew where the keys to the house were. I left on vacation a few times without locking up. No problem...good neighborhood.
My current neighbors are very nice and we all get along (I think...a few do not speak English, but I'm pretty sure they are being nice). Do we share meals? No. But I do have one neighbor whose two cats will come inside to eat breakfast nearly everyday.
As for Huntsville...I have spent a few months in Alabama (Birmingham, Montgomery and Dothan) and have never heard anything but good things about it. Never made it there myself, though.
Anyway...thanks for jumping in Laura. We appreciate all feedback.
Tars...you live in a community of 12,000,000? Dang! What are your block parties like?
While there are a lot of people, it still has that small town atmosphere. You know...everybody knows everybody...things like that.
Last time I talked with everybody, they wanted to barbeque next Memorial Day. If not then, probably do it for Juneteenth.
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