Saturday, December 3, 2011

city livin'


If I needed a reminder about why I moved out of the city, I certainly got one this trip...rude drivers who will happily let you change lanes as long as you do it behind them, road construction that narrows busy three lane roads with merging traffic down to one lane, and huge helicopters that hover over the house at night with searchlights while sirens blare from who knows how many cop cars while they conduct their manhunt.

Made me think of several apocalyptic sci-fi books and movies. We all laughed when 1984 came and went but the joke's on us. Big Brother is watching and there is no escape. They were probably after some little 6 yr. old boy for playing doctor with his 5 yr. old girl playmate while the real crooks and criminals get off scott free.

Well, good things are here too...getting to spend time with friends I don't see very often now, lots of choices for places to eat out, stores that have what you need without having to drive 25 - 50 miles, my daughter and grandkids.

Driving in past Memorial Park you could see that they have been cutting down the dead trees. Whole stands of trees in undeveloped acreages across the city have died and many in residential areas as well. Over 6 million. That's 6,000,000. My four here at the city house are still living and I am amazed since we are not here to water them. One of them, the magnolia, we planted.

13 comments:

  1. Ellen how come so many trees died. did they get a bug or something. glad your magnolia tree is doing good. hugs.

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  2. I know what you mean about city folk. The trouble we have in this country is that city people buy up country property for weekend use and bring their city ways with them.

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  3. I loved your description of city living! Ha!! So true!
    We have had severe drought here too and lots of trees have been removed!
    So sad!
    Hugs to you
    SueAnn

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  4. One of the reasons we had a week without electricity back in October is that tress were not routinely maintained, growing out of control and untrimmed over the state's power lines. When the limbs and trees came down in a small snowstorm, so did the power lines.

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  5. we will occasionally get one of those helicopter manhunts out here in podunk, too. too many meth-labs out in the woods...

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  6. Wow.. I've lived in the city all of my life and have never seen that kind of action. Well.. traffic of course but not in the sky.

    That's heartbreaking about the trees. That drought sure did extensive damage. I'm glad your trees are in decent shape.

    Enjoy the visit.. I'm sure you will.

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  7. Well, to everything there is a season. If not always a reason.
    Enjoy the restaurants and shops and then scoot back to the peace of the country.

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  8. The trees are like canaries in the mine- You know that things have been really bad for the trees to give up! Glad you do not live in the city!

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  9. The tree lose sounds terrible.The proximity to everything is why I just moved where I am. I live 20 minutes from my country charm to the metro.

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  10. I'd forgotten about the helicopters and the traffic that our cities have. The idea of Big Brother cameras being everywhere is so instilled in my mind that I automatically assume they are everywhere except in my house. Give them time though and I am sure they're start watching us at home also. Not kidding. When I'm in our community center here, alone, I may start to have a scratch or two but then I remember the cameras are watching. Half kidding.

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  11. I have done the reverse to you - lived in the City then the Country now back in the City. Bizarre I know, but I need the buzz to let me know I am alive. I always felt as if I was buried alive in the country.

    Over here there is an expression if you hear all three sirens (police, ambulance and fire-engine) going at once ... with an added bonus for the choppers hovering. Think you got a bonus this week?

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  12. I've decided that I'm a small-town girl. I have the convenience of a grocery store close-by & neighbors who keep an eye on things while we're gone - but none of the traffic & craziness of the city.

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  13. Well, Eugene is hardly a city compared to Houston, but if I HAD to choose--even between Houston and living the country--I would go with Houston. I spent most of my life in the country, and I'm glad to have spent the last 25 years in cities.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.