Sometimes it Pays

Sometimes it pays to let your voice be heard.  There is an uninhabited (except, perhaps, by wildlife) house in my neighborhood that can be seen from my deck and my yard.  A huge tree fell on that house when Hurricane Isabel swept through in Sept. 2003.  Since that time the house has had a tarp of some form on it, but no noticeable repairs.  The original damage was mostly in the rear of the house, although you could still see some of the tarp draping.  We had a 21-inch snowfall in December of 2009, followed by two 20+ inch snows in February of 2010.  The second February snow took down the tarp setup and the front wall of the second story.  About a month later the owners cleaned up some of the debris and set up a new jerry-rigged tarp set-up.  This new rig looked awful and was very much in evidence.  Then at the end of January this year we had a seven-inch snow--not very much, but very wet and very heavy--and the newer tarp setup was ripped to shreds.  And there it sits.  It has been several weeks, and the owners, I know, have been notified, but no more action has occurred.

Enough is enough!  Yesterday I notified the county inspections and permits department of this situation, figuring that nothing much would happen but that I would feel better for having tried.  A courtesy copy to the community association president got forwarded to the community relations person for the county.  By today I have received responses from all concerned.  I'm feeling much better about our county government!!

Apparently a permit application to bulldoze the place was submitted in November but there were problems with the application that have, to date, not be satisfied.  It seems the local fire department got involved on Monday and they are pushing the issue.  After seven and a half years, I think it's about time!

A Birthday Weekend in PA

Already?!  Yes, it's true.  Grand-niece Elizabeth, aka "Lil Bit", turned five this month, and I was able to join in the celebration.  It was a great weekend.  For once the weather (mostly) behaved and I could travel easily. 
We celebrated on Saturday.   Elizabeth got all kinds of neat things.  I think one of her favorites was the Barbie guitar.  All of those youngsters are music lovers, so this just added to her repertoire.

Jake and Ava played the piano at various times, but Jake's favorite is drums.  He would like a drum set, but the potential procurers have declined so far, so he is reduced to using whatever he can commandeer--pots, tables, or whatever presents itself as available.

Cousins Emily and Abigail joined in the celebration.




















It was also Super Bowl weekend, and the family gathered to root for their favorite (or preferred, if not favorite) team.  Even Abbie got into the act, snuggling with Bob as she watched.

While the predicted storm turned out to be mostly rain, there was plenty of snow still on the ground, and children who would have preferred to play outside were forced to stay inside and just look out and wish for spring.

Patience, little ones.  It's a whole lot closer than it has been (we hope)!