Purple everywhere and flowers dropping, none that have perfume. Green grass. Cool out. Cloud cover. I can see the laptop screen.
The last several days, writing, printing, and snail mailing letters of protest and advocacy. Will any of them solicit response? Don't know. Have to get my anger out of my system.
In the works, one to the library, which has been taking a survey.
Fearless squirrels coming to see what I have in my lunch bag. Luckily this park has many pine trees with plenty of pine cones so they are not entirely addicted to processed and inappropriate people food out of garbage cans.
Be Productive.
Evenings with a friend, watching old films. Eating Reeses peanut butter cups every night, more than I ever ate in my entire life.
Later I hope to sew a carry bag for my friend, as a gift for him, for Father's Day.
Terrible worries about the economy, job loss, and the desperate need for more truly affordable housing. "It's going to get worse," he says, frequently, when I find articles about the excessive number of for sale houses on the market, how first time home buyers are backing out of buying, afraid their incomes will not support mortgages.
We've been watching the construction of a major, potentially community changing, housing project. Advertised as "From the low 600,000." These town homes are clustered together so that it appears that all that's between them is the car access. We see how their address clings to a single family home neighborhood rather than the busy street that some of them front. Will there be soundproofing? Two sets of them have been completed, and we think someone is living in one, perhaps a show-piece furnished, but we don't think a single one of them has been sold.
The front doors are narrow and painted the color that must be the color of the year, a yellow like a chunk of cheese or maybe a school bus. "How can you even get any furniture through that door?" "Maybe they think people are going to order their furniture from Ikea, assemble it indoors, and never get it back out again?" It looks like two rows of these town homes made of wood and plywood have been left standing and we see no workpersons continuing to work. Is the builder waiting for inspections? Moved crew to another site? Out of money?
Who wants a townhouse in this neighborhood?
What will happen to the government housing? The ma and pop stores with low rent?
I think of the seniors who have lived in their own single family home, purchased years ago for much less, inflation, the devaluation of the dollar, the horror that $40,000 a year is barely livable for one person. I think that if you have a house you can sell for a million, these town homes might be a sensible move. But... how many seniors want to do three stories of stairs? The promised electric car plug-ins suggest that these are targeted to attracted young people, techies, people with income of $100,000 a year or more. A way into housing, perhaps without expectation of ever making the pay off?
We muse over the economy between meals.
My friend and I go to eat fast food a lot these last few months. Neither of us were ever much into fast food but it works with a temporary lifestyle. McDonalds, Wendys, Popeyes, Kentucky Fried, Jack in and Box, even once Arby's. Too much fried. Too many fries.
We look to see who else is eating, what cars there are in lots or going through drive-throughs. We think indoor dining is empty.
We think Rite Aid. All those employees who have loyally held on.
If AI is going to take over so many jobs, how will all those people earn their living?
Another squirrel.
More purple flowers.
C 2025 Christine Trzyna
