In case you didn’t know or I haven’t mentioned it or whatever, I live on a dead end street.     There’s one way in.   There’s one way out.   They happen to be the same way over a railroad track.

And, I just found out, it’s like this since 1918.
Dern man, right?

When I returned from Florida, mom was pretty adamant about us getting a through street.  I mean, I think this was always her cause to some degree – just like my dad had a thing about property lines.  Long story…

Anyway, when I got home and fully realized the medical state she was in, I guess I started to put two and two together.   I still didn’t take action, but it began to dawn on me that it’d really be bad if mom needed an ambulance and they couldn’t get to her because of a two mile long trail was blocking the entrance.

After a couple of days of being back, I had to see my primary care… and couldn’t because a train blocked my way for about three hours.

Again, this is a dead end street.   There’s about thirty or forty families the live here.   There’s some kids and there’s some older people… and this street has been like this since 1918.  Hell, that’s a 100 years.

So, I went home and actually wrote a letter to the editor.  I emailed it to the p.o.s. small town newspaper and waited.  .. and I waited… and I waited… and nothing.

I * knew * what I wrote wasn’t that bad.    I did my best to write it in good humor and it was far superior than some of the opinion pieces they publish.   I made sure I was well within the word limit.  I didn’t cuss.   I provided all my contact info, as requested.

And, still, I waited.

So, I emailed it in again after about a month.
Why not, right?

A couple of days later, I received a response from the assistant editor.   A couple days after that, my letter appeared in the paper.    I put it on the fridge.  =)
—  Sure, it’s not a drawing of a cat-cow from a four year old, but I guess I was pretty proud of it.  Heck, it is the first time I’ve been hard published in like twenty years.
—  Still, didn’t get paid for it, but I was published.  Yay.

But, whatever, it’s good.

Today… which happens to be mom’s birthday…   I made it to the front page.   HAHA.
I got the front page side bar which lead to page… three, I think.   Three or four.

Which basically told the whole town that most of the safety inspectors agree with me.   The town and county know it’s an issue.  A couple of options where stated that require a couple of bridges to be built.

But, ultimately, no resolution.

So, everybody knows there’s a problem.   There’s been a problem for a while and they really haven’t given a shit.    There’s not accountability.   The city/county doesn’t want to throw good money on a street where at least a third of the front yards resemble a trash dump.

Still, I tried.
Feeling pretty good about it.

Just hope what I predicted never comes true — that we need an ambulance or a firetruck while a train is stuck… but I guess it would be grounds to sue?

I don’t know.   lalala

But, I’m on the fridge.