Good Morning Everyone,
Well, we are now into the pretty cold air of the season now. During the night the panhandle of Nebraska got a winter storm and quite a bit of snow as well as Wyoming, Colorado, somewhere around 8-12 inches. Tis the season here and I am sure its here to stay for a while.
It is supposed to warm up again in the 50's and 60's here by the weekend.
I want to take the time to apologise for the rant yesterday. But for some reason, this really bothered me and I will tell you, it has really pissed my community off and probably not for the good. At least for people like me who live in trailers or modulars.
The city is now declaring war, so to speak on us who live in these this type of housing. I guess, I am just going to sit back, and just see what will happen next. This may spark a war on landlords like the one who owns this crappy park to clean up or have eminent domain waged upon them as the talk seems to be stemming towards. The only problem is the owner of my area, if you shove, he shoves harder and usually declared a personal war on individuals in his path. He is a spoiled kid who has been given pretty much anything and when someone plays in his cornflakes or sandbox, he becomes a hammer and makes life miserable for us who live in his areas. This news story about the kids in the dog kennel has really started something and I think that now the city officials have had their eyes opened to the fact that their fair town is not a perfect utopia like they thought is was. The city officials have blinders on around here and do not see the huge influx of drugs and distribution that we have here. It really is not safe here, especially after dark and I am noticing that not a lot of people go out after dark anymore. We also had a murder here last week, a stabbing attributed to drugs, so I think the community is on edge. The issue is, this is nothing new at all for this community. I see it here all the time. In fact, there is a single woman with kids living in the crappy unit behind me, and it is just like the place that was busted Monday night. Junk laying around, garbage strewn about, as she will not pick up the garbage at all or even take it to the garbage. I refuse to pick anything up anymore. I used to pick up around here, but since the snit with the owner, earlier this year, I quit picking up and mowing around the lot. Its his problem anymore. This community for some reason, always has blinders on, it wants to be a utopia, but with new people trying to move here from all over for jobs, which we do not have, these new immigrants bring with them the ills of the social world with them.
I had someone make a comment, which I did not post. She told me that she did not want to read of troubles of the area that I live in. Well my dear, I am afraid that where I live, we have urban troubles and though unfortunate, I will post things about the area I live in. It is not perfect, it is basically a slum in a rural community that seems to be perfect. Its not, I assure you, but like my blog says, living and making it the best I can. I am sorry that I cannot bring a lot of happy simple living to my blog, as I can't. I am extremely poor, and when you are poor, you are given an area in which to live that is affordable. The particulars of my area is the fact that this is the home of Union Pacific Railroad, and it is the hub of the rail yards. And since we have had this here since the railroad was built in the late 1860's, it has been a town of ill repute, and of gouging for your money. The cost to live in this community is 25% higher than any other community in the state, even the large urban areas of Omaha and Lincoln. The rents are equal to the cities, and the cost of groceries here, especially meat is mind boggling to say the least. Will this ever get solved, no it will not, in fact it will get worse, with worse things coming into the picture like the child abuse incident we had Monday night. With people not being able to afford better conditions, with landlords praying upon people who are lower income, and unable to afford better things because of no work or medical issues which you cannot qualify because you cannot pass a credit check or a background check, which is what this community does, and then this follows you all over town to everyone, as gossip is slung here like mud and shit.
So I really do not have a answer as to this. I know that this is all over the country, not just here, but everywhere. I just do not want people who read this blog to think that I have a utopia world here, I don't. It is a hillbilly hell here. And again, if you do not like the blog, then please do not read it. When I started the blog, it was meant for people who live in conditions like me, on how to live and coupe with the conditions. I am not an expert at all, but when you live in parks such as I do, it is a different world, different from a home or neighborhood, though, homes and neighborhoods have problems too, but when it is a trailer park, you are sort of in a collective, with generally an owner who is an idiot and doesn't care about anything but money, and puts the population of ill repute in these parks. And you are at the mercy of it as there really isn't any place to move that is better than the place you are in now. And forget about going to the city officials, as this has been done in the past with everything falling on deaf ears, but since this abuse case has gotten national attention, this may well be the straw which broke the camel's back, but to what extent if anything gets done. I am just afraid that it may target innocent people, the elderly and disabled who live in trailers as all rotten and now you will pay for your habitation in these units through harassment and intimidation from officials.
I am also going to take a look at the blog in general. Again, I do not live in rural, beautiful area where I have farmland, animals and a lovely atmosphere in which to post photos of. I have tons of farmland around me within a few miles, but I cannot just get in the car or walk too much to post photos. I wish I could, but with the price of gas, I cannot just get in the car and drive around without having somewhere to go. I cannot afford gas as a liberal expense to bring things to you. I wish I could. This year in general, has been a trying, and ill gotten year. I have many things going on, with only me doing it. I do not have family in which to ask for help, and to get help from outside sources here is a recipe for disaster as again, the town gossips and you don't know if you may end up in jail or some kind of trouble with officials. This community dwells on starting trouble and taking it too far. I cannot remember if I ever mentioned this or not, but when I was doing my herb sales at the farmers market last year, I damn near got into trouble with cops as I had brought some culinary mushrooms with me that I was growing at home, they were Shitaki mushrooms along with some other Japanese culinary mushrooms for cooking and medicinal use and some idiot who went through the market, told the cops who make their presence known came over and told me that someone came over to them and told them I had drug mushrooms and was selling them. Boy, I was pissed and so was the market director, who came to my rescue. I also had dried herbs there and they thought the containers were pot. This is what this community is as a whole and the mind set.
So I will sit back the rest of this week and take in what is going on. On the home front, D and I are getting ready to re finish floors, starting with the front bedroom, and smoothing out the rough spots and then I am applying several coats of poly floor paint and then bringing my large area rugs from the storage garage and then finish painting the walls and just fixing up things to make it more home-y. I am hoping that this helps me cope with all of the ills.
I want to again, thank all of you who have followed this blog. I love all of you, and respect your advice and opinions. And I just want to try to bring better things to you, hopefully the next year with a better blog. I am not a professional blogger, just a human trying to exist in a rough time.
Love and Hugs to all.
I think blogs are a very person thing and should be about whatever you want it to be! No rules. If it doesn't appeal, then no one is forced to read it. You just keep on keeping on.
ReplyDeleteHere is a hint about the painted floors. I finished my bathroom with clear poly varnish for floors and it has really held up well to scratches or chips. This was using floor paint over linoleum, not over wood.
Wow! Sounds like you should write a book about your trailer park/community! I know you used to do some volunteer work..are you still doing that? Sometimes you just need to get out there and do something positive and then you can feel a bit better about your situation. Hang in there, and take care.
ReplyDeleteDear, dear Denim ~ I just lost a long post that I had written, for Pete's sake.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe the gall of the lady who told you she doesn't want to hear your troubles where you live. Well, heck lady, don't follow Denim, then you won't get notices of her thoughts on how she is living and what she is living with. That really burns my you know what.
I'm peeved now, because not all of us have an easy life. Yes, things could be worse, but we don't have excess $ to just spend any time we feel like it. We also, are living poverty level, but, our little place is paid for, so that makes a difference there. Our neighborhood has been going down hill for years.
We shop 'curbside' when we see something worthy. I know some frown on that, but we all do what we have to do to survive, we can't all buy new. We eat a lot of beans and rice, have cut back on meat, buy bulk, shop the thrift stores for clothing, (except for underwear):-). This morning DH had to get a part for our toilet flush valve, and on the way home he picked up a broken sheet of 2" styrofoam that someone probably had just lost out of their truck. We needed more of this for insulating our little shed. Then he stopped at the Salvation Army and they happened to have free canned goods, limit 3, and he brought home cream of potato soup, cream of mushroom soup, and a can of asparagus spears. We are thankful for our daily blessings.
I am so sorry that you've had such a rough year. I am happy to be one of your followers and you are in my thoughts and prayers often.
I hope something really good happens for you in the way of housing, or that a new owner will buy the park and spruce the place up.
Love and hugs to you ~ FlowerLady
I think it is an unpleasant reality that when anyone has limited income the choices of where to live lump very decent people in with those who don't have an interest in being good neighbors--or in being tidy or responsible. I wonder: are those who are bogged down in miserable lives of drugs, crime, etc really resentful of those who try to be decent, try to make the neighborhood better?
ReplyDeleteAlthough we have to be careful with money, we are blessed to be living in a rural setting, but we're learning that even this quiet farming county has crime, drugs, vandals--you don't have to dig very deeply to see that it is there.
I cling to my gardens and to the company of my cats, visit the local Goodwill shop, try not to give in to my worries.
I'm interested in what you are doing--even when you need to "rant!"
I'm so sorry that you've had such a trying time with everything, and I truly hope that better things will come your way very soon.
ReplyDeleteI think in the case of the person who said she didn't want to hear about your problems that she, like many other folks, have an unrealistic view on the world today. Not everyone lives in an ideal rural area with good neighbors are pretty flowers, and there are a heck of a lot of people struggling every day just to make ends meet. It's nice to see someone standing up for what's right and not turning a blind eye on what's going on around them!
I hope you will continue to blog, and I really applaud you for not being afraid to talk about the things that bother you, or that affect your life, no matter how negative someone else feel about it. I kind of view blogs as I do about watching TV. If you don't like what you see, watch something else!
I wish good things for you all, and I will definitely continue reading your blog.
Take care and God bless!
Geez, blogs are suppose to be yours, not to be policed.
ReplyDeleteI read blogs to get a different prospective, good and bad.
How people are coping with their life helps me to cope with my own.
Life is very complex and we are all human, some of us good for the most part, some not so!
Aren't most of us just trying to make do as best we can?
I lead a decent life and don't steal or cheat, that doesn't mean they're aren't people in my area who are as honest.
There's a gate and fence up for a reason.
As to your posts?
You blog on several topics, not just negative ones. Canning, cooking, gardening to name just a few. All topics I'm interested in.
Negative Nell needs to move on, perhaps into fantasy blog land where the pecan trees always have nuts?
Dear Denim, I do hope you continue to blog just like you have been. I draw a lot of strength from your words. I am not around online as much as I used to be because I have had to start doing a lot of things just to keep a roof over our head. I am selling everything that isn't nailed down. But when I read your blog I realize at least I am not alone...there are others like you who struggle every day but make it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I pray you have a good and peaceful weekend.
Hugs.