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2002-07-05 - 10:35 a.m.
Lazy July days
Yesterday was nice,in spite of sad memories. 1d and kids went to the parade on the square, where 2s and kids were also. then she brought them over to spend the afternoon and evening as she worked. I had made baked beans, scalloped potatoes, and deviled eggs, so I cooked some hamburgers and we ate before she went to work. 2d later took them up the ski hill to hike and 800 and I napped away the rest of the day. 2d and I started to watch Independence Day, an annual tradition lately, then we all went out to watch the fireworks from the golfcourse across the river from the privacy of our front yard. The neighbors to the south did not have their usual party, but the new neighbor to the north had 4 or 5 cars in to watch the fireworks. They had fun but were well behaved,(probably thought we were nuts because we all sang the Star Spangled Banner after the grand finale!) 2d says I cannot choose the key any more because I start too low but it was just fine for my range! The fireworks were almost a constant grand finale, even a little too rapid to appreciate the individual rockets, but were very nice. Some years I have read in the paper that 5 thousand dollars had been spent. Maybe more this year. Lots of homes on the bluff across the river and up the river on our side had illegal fireworks, but we didn't stay out to watch those sporadic explosions. Instead we finished our video and enjoyed it immensely. Our new neighbor is a Hispanic man in his 30's or 40's. There may be a mate, and there may be still 2 houses to separate them. When I first found that Mexicans had purchased the house, some latent bigotry arose. It is really a double-wide trailer that the builders tried their best to disguise with first a double garage, then a large verandah, then an addition to the garage, but they were never able to recoup all they had invested in it, and let it go back to the bank. They had originally wanted $110,000 for it which may have been an acceptable price for a stick house on the lot. Then they lowered it to $89,000 and moved. The last I heard, $60,000 was the asking price. At that time, 3s had thought of investing in it and renting it out to 1d which would have been very convenient in lots of ways for us and her. But it would have taken a $600 a month rental, to make payments, insurance, taxes and minor upkeep, which is twice what she is paying, and it probably would not have held its value over the years. Anyway the price brought it down to where those like the new neighbor could afford it. Doesn't that just sound sickenly stuckup and racist? I don't mean it to be, for we are not in the upper middle class, but I know many who are and these things are in the forefront of their goals in life. Farm folk seem to be removed from some of that thinking. Rich farmer or poor farmer, it is all the luck of the draw many times, and all are pretty level. However there are cultural differences that are noticeable in neighborhoods, some good some bad. Music is different, again some good, some bad. The neighbor behind us has had teens who listened outside to heavy metal, and cars from across the river at the park have that kind also. It often reverberates off of our metal shop and back into the house. Even when the words or melodies(?) can't be heard, the deep Boom-boom-boom can be felt. The beat is what I noticed when NN(new neighbor) had his first gathering of friends or relatives. Mexican music has a different rhythm than some, and as I lay in my bed in the late afternoon, the vibrations beat in my ears. But I fell asleep anyway. So no problem. NN seems to be gentlemanly, friendly, clean, and all the other attributes necessary for an orderly neighborhood. He has tidied up flowerbeds and lawn and while he has an interest in restoring old cars, doesn't strew parts all over his back yard. We may have to shape up our act!!! His yard last nite was full of people having fun, but not obstreperous or uncouth. I would much rather have him as as neighbor than 'poor white trash', a class of folk which has nothing to do with either color, or money but state of mind. I don't know where that phrase started in our family, but someone is always saying, "Don't be like poor white trash and --------". Let me see if I can list some things 'poor white trash' does that we should not. pwt picks on the weak, mocks the elderly, runs in gangs, wipes their runny noses on the back of their hands, comes to the table with no shirt on, sits with their legs open showing their underwear, spits where people walk, necks in public---oh, I could go on and on and on. Isn't it funny, how each family has sets of rules which define civilized? I shall have to think on this some more. I have had to look up the spelling of 3 words in this entry. I am getting old!!! 800 says the progression of old age is forgetting names, forgetting faces, forgetting to zip up, forgetting to zip down. It is going to be interesting!!!!
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