Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Covering Communities
I remember when I was younger there was only about 5 houses within 5 miles of my house. This was about 16 years ago. I remember cars rarely driving down my road. Our neighborhood was the kind of neighborhood that when someone drove by they always waved at you, and everyone knew and was friends with everyone else. Also if something happened everyone knew about it right away. Now a few years later, there are a lot more houses, a lot less friendliness, and a lot less trees. Now only few people, mostly the ones that lived here in the first place, wave when they pass by. What use to be deep country west of Cambridge is now turning into the city, and it makes me sad. I miss going and picking berries, and watching herds of deer behind my house in the fall. I haven't seen even one deer in the area for more than two years.
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I liked your turn of phrase, " Now a few years later, there are a lot more houses, a lot less friendliness, and a lot less trees." Your posting made the sadness feel palpable.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how things can take such a sudden turn and the way your community is one of those examples. Sometimes it just makes me think how much things in our whole nation as changed in the past few years.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteJust remember to buy local products that support those bakeries, groceries, and other local shops that have been there longest and are family run. Don't let big business take over Cambridge!
I have always lived in a crowded neighborhood, but I would love to live in a quite and friendly place like that. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteJamie Groth
bobbie -- though short, the poetic phrasing and melancholy of your post really give it a kick.
ReplyDeleteRich
Thumbs up to Mary’s comment! It’s unfortunate that we can’t stop the expansion of our comfortable small towns but it’s even more sad that we lose the sense of a friendly, close knit community along with it.
ReplyDeleteI was able to feel the sadness as well just in the way you used your words. I used to live in Stacy (near Forest Lake) in a neighborhood like that. Then I moved to Ham Lake (next to Andover) into a neighborhood like the second one you described. So the experience you went through was overnight for me. We used to have a pond in our yard at the house in Stacy. I miss having the amount of space and trees we used to have but in my new neighborhood, we still have neighbors that wave to you as they drive by or you drive by. Hopefully that doesn't change overnight as well.
ReplyDeleteI have always lived in larger cities--kinda makes me want to live in a smaller one now.
ReplyDeletenice writing
ReplyDelete