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I'm having a battle with my conscience, or maybe I'm just trying to be optimistic

Kirby

By Kirby
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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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There is a big field in my town that I pass every day on my way home from work.  It's next to the little shopping mall and the Fireman's Field where kids play soccer.  The front of the field is covered by some scraggly trees, but in the back is a beautiful meadow.  It's hard to see most of the year because the trees block the view, but in winter, when the trees lose their leaves, you can see the pretty meadow.  I like to imagine the deer romping in the meadow and the birds building little homes for their young.

In the last month bulldozers have come and ripped up all the little scraggly trees.  According to the local paper, they're planning to build some more bland, annoying condos on the beautiful meadow and I feel so sad each time I drive by.  I've started driving a different way some times so I don't see it, and I know I'll be near tears when they rip up the beautiful meadow to cram in more housing that will look just like the other housing in town.

But the local paper also said they're planning to put one of my favorite Grocery Stores in with the new construction and it will be very nice to have one nearby and not have to drive so far each weekend to get to the nice Grocery Store a few towns over.  I suspect once the condos are built and I'm used to seeing them, I'll be glad to have the grocery store there, but I will still miss the beautiful meadow (although in fairness, it's probably filled with ticks).

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2Far KOM / QOM

2Far

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The grass is always greener...

Actually it does look greener from the side because you see it an an oblique angle, thus seeing more of the sides of the grass, i.e., more green surface area. Whereas, when you look straight down on the grass, you only see the ends of the blades and more prominently, the brown soil between the blades.

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Fret Buzz Flahute

Fret Buzz

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6 minutes ago, Kirby said:

But the local paper also said they're planning to put one of my favorite Grocery Stores in with the new construction and it will be very nice to have one nearby and not have to drive so far each weekend to get to the nice Grocery Store a few towns over.  I suspect once the condos are built and I'm used to seeing them, I'll be glad to have the grocery store there, but I will still miss the beautiful meadow (although in fairness, it's probably filled with ticks).

Is "Grocery Store" the name of the grocery store?

And please tell us which is one of your favorites if it isn't actually Grocery Store.

BTW, they are building a new Metro station a short distance from my home. It will surely bring some positive changes to the area, and will make my commute even easier. However, to make space for it, they cut down all sorts of trees and bushes that previously provided pleasant coverage of an otherwise unsightly road. My wife bitches about it every time we drive by it.  It doesn't help that another developer also chose to cut down a crap-ton of trees to expand their property's buildings. To that, I tell her they will eventually put in landscaping, but not until they are 100% complete.

Tom

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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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14 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Is "Grocery Store" the name of the grocery store?

And please tell us which is one of your favorites if it isn't actually Grocery Store.

 

DeCicco's - it's a local chain and I think somewhere along the line the family business split into two separate chains with very similar names (but that's not completely clear since both sets of stores are very similar in style, so I could be wrong on that)..   They're much smaller than a Wegman's but they have an interesting mix of items.  I don't do all my shopping there since it tends to be more expensive, but I like their deli and bakery sections.  Plus they're small enough that they're not too hectic on the weekends.

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12string Domestique

12string

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Donk has a drug dealer you could borrow to stick in that meadow, make the neighborhood undesireable, and therefor unsuitable for development.

Really, why do I have to be the one that comes up with the brilliant solutions.  The rest of you need to start thinking with this kind of clarity.

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Kzoo Flahute

Kzoo

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Just think in terms of new local tax revenue.  That will take your mind off the future of the starving deer herd.  Think of the new library books and the new fire engine the town can buy and maybe a new bandshell in the park.  It's just a few deer.

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Zephyr Domestique

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2 hours ago, 2Far said:

The grass is always greener...

Actually it does look greener from the side because you see it an an oblique angle, thus seeing more of the sides of the grass, i.e., more green surface area. Whereas, when you look straight down on the grass, you only see the ends of the blades and more prominently, the brown soil between the blades.

I am totally going to use this.  I will give you full credit, but I am going to use this

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MickinMD KOM / QOM

MickinMD

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That's "progress." Our very local Brooklyn Park High School in Maryland no longer exists - it was merged with another in the late '80's, and we aging alumni and residents have a private Facebook page called "I Grew Up in Brooklyn Park."  One guy does a regular, "Can you name this location?" photo and others do similar stuff, school pictures, etc: the old Fire Halls and Strip Shopping Centers and Parks, etc.

In some cases, what replaced those long-gone things is an improvement, in others a loss.  The real feeling of loss is of a simpler time!

Here are some recently posted pics:

Saint Rose of Lima - the old Catholic church in which I was baptized, after it burned in the 1950's. The replacement where I had First Holy Communion and Confirmation collapsed under snow in the 60's. The pastor of my youth, Bishop Murphy, joked with me that I should get married in another church!

59dd65e3a072b_SaintRoseofLima.JPG.73bd2bbf1e8bee569bfaf172385fa8ea.JPG

My Mom's favorite supermarket:

Capturec.JPG.b3b6c639081c431ec994ddb1b51700dd.JPG

Our local "fancy" restaurant:

Capture2.JPG.803c533f1294166571d94a6b59b72035.JPG

 

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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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3 hours ago, Airehead said:

I would also be sad-- who is leaving in these poorly constructed community homes that are popping up everywhere?

At the moment, me. :whistle:  I don't want to think of the meadow that was here before they built my complex, but I make up for it by taking care of the local animals.  :nodhead:

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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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UPDATE::  Almost 18 months later, the new grocery store just opened on Friday.  They were delayed for months with some utility issues, but they finally got  it sorted out and opened on Friday.  The good news is that most of the nice meadow is still there, and you can even see it better with the walkway they built.  The bad news is that the store was a madhouse.  Actually the store seemed ok, but the parking lot was frantic with people racing for spots and being generally annoying.  I went for a quick trip on Friday, but was so annoyed by the crowds that I went to the store I've been using the last few months today for most of my shopping.  I hope the crowds lessen once the novelty wears off, but I feel bad for the local deli and bakery who have to compete with the shiny new store.

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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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1 hour ago, Airehead said:

Thanks for the update. Now I want a delicious bakery item. 

The deli section of the new store is probably better, but I still like the little standalone bakery.

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Road Runner Flahute

Road Runner

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9 minutes ago, AirwickWithCheese said:

I find it odd that no one liked your op.   :dontknow:

This happens to me all the time.  I will post something brilliant but get no likes.  Someone will post a reply agreeing with me and they get licked to death.  :angry:

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AirwickWithCheese World Champ

AirwickWithCheese

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3 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

This happens to me all the time.  I will post something brilliant but get no likes.  Someone will post a reply agreeing with me and they get licked to death.  :angry:

Not when I'm around. I give you more likes than anyone.   :)

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Kirby KOM / QOM

Kirby

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9 hours ago, Page Turner said:

...are there dandelions in your meadow, @Kirby ?  You need to be careful around dandelions. 

 

6eeb2fc9069a77f2b5d72dd803d50116.jpg

It's sort of a wetlands swampy area, but other parts of it are meadowy.  Of course after all the rain we've had, everything is wetlands, swampy area.  I will try to take a picture the next time I go.

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late Baroudeur

late

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On 10/10/2017 at 5:55 PM, maddmaxx said:

CS&N would always do wonders for a neighborhood.

I think that is John Sebastian. They were having electrical problems, and had him perform solo despite his being higher than a kite on LSD.

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late Baroudeur

late

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There was this land a mile from my house. It was nothing but deep ravines. I heard that they were going to build a supermarket there, and I didn't believe it, or want it. It took them several months of dumping dirt to fill the ravines.

I was all prepared to hate it. So when they opened, we went to check it out. It was the nicest looking one I'd ever seen, and they were giving away free lobster.

They won me over, then and there.

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Fret Buzz Flahute

Fret Buzz

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On 10/10/2017 at 3:38 PM, Razors Edge said:

My wife bitches about it every time we drive by it.  It doesn't help that another developer also chose to cut down a crap-ton of trees to expand their property's buildings. To that, I tell her they will eventually put in landscaping, but not until they are 100% complete.

FTR, my wife is STILL bitching about this group of trees and other ones in the area. We've been in the middle of a building "boom" for about six to eight years in my neighborhood and it is only accelerating as the Metro extension project gets closer to being completed (2020), so more and more trees are getting cut down for buildings :(  Sure, it helps my wallet, but hurts my soul.

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