Small Town Death
Today I was driving through our little town, and my 2 year old in the back seat starting keening: "The ice cream store! It's GONE!!!"
She's right. It is. Windows blacked out, fresh-cone-smell gone.
So is the little video store-- run by 90 pound Filipina Auntie Chris, talking 100 miles an hour, and Angelica her daughter-clone, giggling over her homework next to the paper-pile counter. My kid's favorite thing was rearranging all the faded video-cases on the shelves, lining them up into "snakes" across the floor.
The big planned development on the main road has been put on permanent hold. The vacant lot is surrounded by 20 foot high plywood and black-netting wall. The tall grass is growing out from under the fence and the wind tattered the black sheets-- it's very Halloween scarecrow. And that's the view from the otherwise very quaint and charming main drag-- sit on the old-west style porch and gaze at... a wall of black rags. Hmm.
Things are not looking so good for this town. It's a slow death-- a year ago the first jobs got slashed and the already-overextended shops went belly-up. Now it's the steady local-friendly shops that are pulling out.
Makes me want to wail, too!
She's right. It is. Windows blacked out, fresh-cone-smell gone.
So is the little video store-- run by 90 pound Filipina Auntie Chris, talking 100 miles an hour, and Angelica her daughter-clone, giggling over her homework next to the paper-pile counter. My kid's favorite thing was rearranging all the faded video-cases on the shelves, lining them up into "snakes" across the floor.
The big planned development on the main road has been put on permanent hold. The vacant lot is surrounded by 20 foot high plywood and black-netting wall. The tall grass is growing out from under the fence and the wind tattered the black sheets-- it's very Halloween scarecrow. And that's the view from the otherwise very quaint and charming main drag-- sit on the old-west style porch and gaze at... a wall of black rags. Hmm.
Things are not looking so good for this town. It's a slow death-- a year ago the first jobs got slashed and the already-overextended shops went belly-up. Now it's the steady local-friendly shops that are pulling out.
Makes me want to wail, too!
Well nice article it was! I got remind my childhood when I was doing the same as your 2 years old did. Whenever I see the ice cream parlor start shouting for the ice cream..
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