Concrete guys showed up at 9:30 yesterday, intent on blowing my historic contribution to the vernacular. Oh well.

Today is the day where everything must be done! Oh well. Actually, I think I'm caught up on work for once. I'm behind on everything around the house, but hey, that's what weekends are for.

No wait, weekends are for Daddy-catch-up, for that's when Mommy works. I come in to the home and she's on her way out, like two ships passing in the open ocean. Two ships passing in the open ocean with their single passenger shuttling between the two on a car seat strapped to a rescue kayak. Even the cat never seems to be around. Having everyone here at once is like waiting for an eclipse. All the schedules have to line up. (Chores are done at naptime.)

Last night, Mrs. Ditchman went on an interesting diversion to hear about the little shopping center that's going to be built in the vacant lot just up the street from us (the vacant lot where the astounding crop circle event was.) I told her that if they offered drinks and a nice buffet that she should be wary, and ready for the fight. She said there was no food, no spectacular multi-media show, no celebrities. Turns out it was just a few guys and some boards on an easel, touting their plans for a vibrant little corner center to compliment the new Sprinter station that recently opened across the intersection. So my wife is actually for the shopping center, that is, if it's a boutique-y, high-end, nicely landscaped thing. But most of the people that show up for these events are against whatever it is being planned -against growth, against progress, against beautifying the empty 7 acres of dirt and weeds that are otherwise strewn with litter and the homeless. The developers must've been glad the amenable Mrs. Ditchman was there. She came home mildly enthused about it, and showed me photocopies of the plans, which look pretty good. There's also something in there about trees being planted and local trails being finished and a traffic signal going in on my street (thank God) so count me in.

One other person from our cul-de-sac showed up. He's in the party against. I'm not going to get into it, but it makes for somewhat awkward mailbox affairs. Us: "Hey neighbor!" Response: "Grrrrrr." He's also against the park that the neighbor city wants to put in on the adjacent land. (Against a park!) Oh well. It's one thing to be against developers, it's another thing to be against reviving our lackluster neighborhood property values. Shrug. Okay, so we never move. (He hasn't.)

Mrs. Ditchman said there was one random citizen who showed up at the meeting with a signed petition of folks against the project. He refused to say who he was with or who had put him up to the petition. Hmmm... competing local businesses perhaps? I feel for the guys who put together these meetings as a public service (they weren't required to do it) -a civic obligation. I'm sure they dread the things. I'm sure they've seen it all. Funny how, in life, the complainers are often so loud and brash, and in your face about THE WRONGS AND ILLS OF SOCIETY! Meanwhile, there's a whole silent majority of the happy, the content, the dedicated, the faithful and the hard-working, who live out their solemn days tolerant of the loudmouths. Giving them what they want just to shut them up is not the answer. Do the happy never fight?

May our gratitude and pleasure to be a part of this free and well-developed land called America be a joyful rage against the malignant influence of the miserable, short-sighted few.


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