Weekend Roundup...
Made it to another weekend, didn't we?
Tell you one thing, there are some weeks that seem to NEVER end, at least not in "my" neighborhood.
Tax day is behind us, so that's a relief.
But there are other items that will need our attention soon enough.
Lawns need to be mowed, and gardens have to be prepped for whatever you're going to be adding to them.
Now we in the SE side of the "ghettohood", take pride in our garden, small as it is (compared to those lucky people with a lot more room between houses). But that doesn't mean we skimp because of it's size.
We stop at the nursery to see what's available, cruise the garden department at K-Mart and even order from catalogs.
Now to THIS city boy, gardening is kinda fun, if a bit taxing on the old arthritic joints.



It's nice to plant something, nurture it to "adulthood", and then reap the benefits of a mature plant.
That's why I always plant some tomatoes.
Goes well with the oregano I have.
It makes a nice addition to the hot peppers we also plant each year. I usually plant Jalapenos, but we have done some Habeneros as well.
I used to get the larger tomatoes, but opted for the cherry size, as I couldn't eat ALL the bigger ones fast enough. That, and the fact that our one neighbor passed away almost 2 years ago. I used to give him all the tomatoes I couldn't eat...and that was a sizable amount.
But, I'm weird like that...sharing my bounty with others.
The sad part comes with the African't-American (and white-trash) "neighbors" living all around.
THEY can't be bothered with such "whack" sh*t.
All they CAN be bothered with, is bothering what few normal people (like us) are left, so they can force US out of the area, to have it ALL to themselves.
And don't think this isn't their "game plan".
The city seems to make SURE it is.
If these locals think there is ONE person that can be a "thorn in their side" when they "conduct business", they will annoy the hell out of you, in an attempt to oust you from YOUR home, forcing YOU to move away from them.
The city looks the other way.
Some of these throwbacks will even escalate their annoyance to downright violence, as is witnessed by houses being torched or shot at. Hell they'll even shoot you in your car.
Now, forgive me for being a bit "dense" in this matter, but aren't THEY the problem, and not people like ME?
Shouldn't THEY be the ones that need to be "forced" from where THEY live...and not US?
Yeah, in a NORMAL world where logic and common sense prevail, that WOULD be correct. Good people are rewarded, bad people are punished.
Apparently, that's NOT what happens in this city, at least not in THIS part OF the city.
It should be said that I am NOT adverse to "low-income" housing. Hell, growing up, that's pretty much all we were able to rent into, until Dad purchased a row home when I was in high school, for the exorbitant sum of $16K!.
But low INCOME housing should be just that; housing for people of a LOWER INCOME than the median.
It should NOT be FREE housing, nor should it be housing for the LAZY asses unwilling to work a single damn day.
A house is an investment, even in today's economy.
It may not be the monetary investment you hoped for, but it becomes an investment in your LIFE...your FUTURE, and the future of your children. It takes on a different meaning than just being "a place to hang your hat".
And you do what's needed to ensure that investment doesn't get pulled out from under you.
You put money into the house, develop a sense of "sweat equity" in maintaining it, and take pride in having something you worked towards having...and hopefully keeping. That's called being a GOOD STEWARD.
However, when it comes to low-income housing THESE days, it's a whole different matter.
Questionable people are dumped into places that are always borderline condemnation hovels, because whoever owns the house just wants that monthly check from whoever else is signing it.
Time and again, whenever a person leaves one of the houses around HERE, someone goes in, patches a few holes in the drywall, slaps a coat of paint on the walls, and steam cleans the carpets, and it's good-to-go for the NEXT bunch of losers that will eventually dump their pickup load of "belongings" into it to start the cycle anew once again.
Saying this part of town has a high turnover rate of "tenants" would be an understatement.
And whatever slumlord is buying these cribs up at record pace needs to be checked out...thoroughly!
What bothers me is that there ARE decent landlords around, and it's sad to have to see them repair the place after they kick out some "bad seeds", only to have those people move into another house nearby, along with their drama and other emotional baggage.
We had one woman, who bought the house NEXT to her, and had her sons remodel the place. She took me on a walk-through, and those boys of hers did a fantastic job, too!
Before she could even get the place on the market, scrappers came in and took the basement piping!
I didn't mention this woman was WHITE, so I will now.
Yes, we've got a scrapping problem in the area, so that means you don't leave the house unattended for protracted periods of time, even with an alarm system, because the police will always arrive AFTER the break-in.
That brings me to the whole issue of POLICE PATROLS.
Um...we really don't HAVE any to speak of.
And believe me, I LOOK for 'em!
Back in Philly, the sector car would drive THROUGH neighborhoods...that was part of the shift.
Around here, the ONLY time I see ANY police cars is when they're traveling from one call to the next, or have pulled someone over, because the "chief" told them to get those traffic-stop numbers UP.
I monitor the radio daily, and that's pretty much ALL that goes on.
Everyone's busy chasing the radio.
Nobody is "available" to monitor that house down the street that has over TEN "visitors" per day, or to set up a noise checkpoint to enforce the city ordinance, or even to check out all the POS pickups with all this "metal" being carried around.
Hell, the OPEN DOOR calls alone (signal 101 here) are usually made by CITIZENS who happen to notice something hinky around their area, and thank God for THEIR diligence.
Makes me wonder exactly WHAT would happen if ALL the phone systems "went dark" for a single day.
Officers would have to PATROL...get some "eyes on" in the neighborhoods, and be able to spot things that look a bit "out of place".
I've always said that when it comes to neighborhood "intel", the best person to ask is NOT the police officer assigned to the area for an 8-hour shift, but the concerned citizen that LIVES in the same area 24/7/365.
THEY know what's going on a LOT better.
THEY see what's going on...THEY hear what's going on.
And it would behoove the department to not take such information with the proverbial grain of salt, but rather pay attention to trends, especially if some of those people have prior knowledge about spotting dubious activities.
An ounce of prevention is ALWAYS worth a pound of cure.
And therein lies the lesson for today...and the week.
Have yourselves a great weekend, make a difference to someone, and as always,
Stay safe out there, America.
(The Good Lord willing, we'll see you on Monday)