today, this is what you see
there is a great letter about why this is happening, here
a note tashi left, "how dare you cut trees down"
this is a quick something i sent off to our neighborhood association this afternoon:
my daughter, husband and i have two special spots in the neighborhood. we lost touch with them in the humidity of summer, but just last night, on autumn equinox, took our old familiar walk from broad, to shamrock, and down mulberry, to the creek. there is a big concrete slab there we like to call lotus landing. it's a place we sometimes visit to gaze at the creek, enjoy the small fish darting back and forth, toss stones, and just sit, because what's not to enjoy about a creek? it's also a great spot to play pooh sticks, a game the favorite bear plays in one of his stories. we would release our sticks on one side of the pipe running under the road, and scoot ourselves to the landing to see whose stick popped through first. this was a family ritual.
last night when we arrived at lotus landing it was covered with huge downed tree trunks. there were several severed stumps sticking up from the ground and a mound of branches carelessly tossed over the already drought damaged creek. we tried to justify it somehow, thinking that perhaps the trees were diseased.
today my daughter and i walked back there, wanting to investigate why this had happened. but it had only got worse. now the trees were gone on the other side of the creek. the workers told me it was so a sewage line could be built there. my daughter and i sat sadly on lotus landing, where still we could gaze at the little fish darting around. but for how much longer? we had to leave when they started up the mulch machine and ground up our magical world.
from there we walked to our second favorite spot, a foot bridge that crosses the creek on center street. this is where my daughter, about two years ago, thought up her name for the waterway: fairy creek. that too had changed. one whole side of it had been cleared. it no longer seemed so inviting for the fairies.
we walked home, heart broken and confused, wishing we could do something. but the trees are now mulch. it's too late.
5 comments:
Trees grow back - find a new place. Everything changes so you better get used to it. When (if?) you grow up you'll understand.
Developers strike again. We have had our share of dealing with the Planning Commission and City Council in our neighborhood. It seemed to me that the goal of filling in empty spaces in town to combat sprawl, comes into conflict with environmental concerns quite often. Here in Belmont, they approved a 30 unit PUD (on the flood plain) one block south of us in 2005. As a result, some of our nearby green space has been privatized and developed too. The letter to the city that you posted is very thoughtful, and you are lucky to have such an articulate person around you who take the time to find out what's up and write their concerns. I heard the city cut back on the PUD permits they issued, because they don't allow them as much control over the process. I don't know what the answer is. But I am thankful in a way that the real estate market has cooled, removing incentive to build condos every-frickin-where.
Geez Anonymous, you really need to chill. I pity you for having nothing better to do with your time than to lash out at another for her expression of grief & sadness.
thanks molly.
anonymous, grow up and tell us your real name. at least i am mature enough to articulate my feelings without lashing out in anger.
(well, until provoked)
Is Tashi deaf or hard of hearing. I turn up to your website and love your blogs. I'm deaf myself, does Tashi knows some ASL (American Sign Language?) it's a great language. :o)
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