Sunday, December 07, 2008

Fragments from the past week
















Another senseless murder happened in Akron this week on a corner I pass at least four times a day as I go to and from work. The corner of Manchester and Thornton is a sad gang-infested nucleus in a cell filled with poverty and decay. A used appliance shop and a check cashing business are the only attractions. I've purchased washers and driers from Hairston's and I once went into the check cashing "store" to buy a bag of ice for a class party. Inside were a few shelves scattered with dusty cans and boxes. The main focus of the business was on supplying booze and cash loans to the locals.



















There are some wonderful old homes along that stretch of Manchester, but many are boarded up and the rest have the air of rot about them. Who has the money to fix up a house when you are living on a paycheck that hasn't even arrived. Anything you could put aside for home repairs is going into the interest charged on your payday loan.

Lots of young men hang out on the corners of this intersection, no matter the season or weather. There seems to be no place else to go. Now on the chain link fence bordering Thornton, balloons and a teddy bear mark the spot of another life wasted in one of Akron's grimmest wastelands. The traffic light was recently replaced by four stop signs. I wondered why at first, but now I'm thinking it is probably safer to not be sitting at a red light for any length of time at this unhappy corner.

Speaking of the weather (and who doesn't in NE Ohio?), we've been enduring January-like temps and snow for weeks now. Saturday was one of those days I'd rather not be out driving, but since we had a show, there was nothing to do but bundle up and load the truck and head on out onto slick roads and incessant snow. Heading toward Montrose on 77, I was thrilled to see a red Smart forTwo car zooming past us all in the fast lane! March (my EDD - estimated delivery date) can't get here soon enough for me. This is not the car I saw on the highway -- it may have had winter tires, but not like these:






















Obie, the ever faithful Huskador retriever, has found a new lease on life or at least -- he is enjoying the new living arrangements I made for him to help ease his day to day life as a most senior canine. According to this source, a 15 year old canine is equivalent to a 90 year old human. So in order to help Obie get around, I've put non-skid throw rugs everywhere and moved down to the ground floor so he doesn't feel obligated to go up and down the steep stairs. I also got him a very thick foam cushion for sleeping and he likes to sink his elderly joints into it at night and for long naps. He is also on pain medication for his arthritis and still enjoys his meals and short trips outside.

Obie in his element:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Payday loans are a great way to avoid bank fees!

KevinBBG said...

Glad to see Obie is doing OK, poor guy. What kills me about pets is that you can't explain things to them.
"Here, Obie, take this huge, bad tasting pill and you'll feel better - really!"

Much harder to get a cat to take her medicine. Nikko was a great cat for things like that, meaning she didn't take off any of my fingers. Anyone else would not have been so fortunate.

Sleeping downstairs for Obie is a big deal but I can't say that I wouldn't do the same for one of my cats. I hope Obie has a couple more good years. Most important thing is: Give him his favorite foods often. Animals live on their stomach.

One guy on NPR said he fed his dog a whole, fresh chicken every day at 4 pm and he swears the dog lived 2 years longer just because he so looked forward to that chicken every day.

And I love that Dune Buggy Smart Car!!! Never even thought of anyone doing that to them, very cool. It's like having an old VW bug again. Now I want one.

Village Green said...

PDLS -- Payday loans are for desperate people who are living beyond their means. Tis a greedy graspy world we live in for sure.

Kev -- the Smarties are becoming quite the canvass for artistic expression. Check out this one:
http://tinyurl.com/5ph6qx

Visit the Smart Car Forums and you'll see all kinds of Smart adaptations and designs.