MushBellyBlog

I changed my mind. In one of my recent blog posts, I said that if I suddenly became a millionaire I would build a cool modern house that is NOT in the "hood". I decided I would actually buy up half the houses on my street, and build a bunch of modern homes and sell them. Notice, I said half of the houses, not all of them. I don't want everyone on my street to be of the same economical status. I enjoy diversity around me. And, living in the ghetto really does have its perks. Here are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.

- If we don't want to mow our lawn for a few weeks, none of the neighbors will complain.
- Sometimes, a little Hispanic boy who lives a few houses down, will come around door to door selling fresh, homemade tamales. They are $1 a piece and they are fabulous. Try to get that in Pepperwood.
- My neighborhood is colorful, interesting, and diverse. My kids won't grow up, as I did, thinking that the word is full of white, Mormon, middle class folks. They will learn that there are all kinds of people in this world, and we are all, ultimately, more alike than we are different.
- The ice cream man. He comes every single day in the summer months, sometimes even twice a day. We don't always get something from him, but I love to hear the sound of his truck. I love to see 20 children running out into the street to get an ice cream sandwich on a hot day.
- If you are ever in need of a grocery cart, you can usually find one (or two) in the gutter in front of my house.
- If you go to your neighbors house to borrow a cup of sugar, you might get offered a big fat joint. This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, I had to decline the weed, but at least I know where to go if the need ever arises. (don't worry Jacob, I'm joking, I will not be asking the neighbor for weed.)
- In the summer, my street is active, alive, full of energy. The kids play basketball in the street, run through the sprinklers, ride their bikes, and chase the ice cream man down the street. Parents don't set up "play-dates" around here. The kids are always out playing together. It reminds me of the way it was when I was a kid. Sometimes driving through a typical suburban neighborhood can feel like a ghost town.
- The always drunk old Mexican man, Able, who walks up and down the street saying "Happy Good Day!" with a toothless smile. He is the sweetest old drunk man Ive ever known. He has shoveled the snow off our walkway and off my car, and raked our leaves in the fall many times. You can see him walking back from the corner 7-11 at 9am every morning carrying his 12 pack of beer for the day. (or maybe its just his first 12 pack for the day, I don't know) Anyway, he's great, and I enjoy his presence on our street.

So, there you have it. For all of you who think we are crazy for choosing to live where we live, know that we did it, with a full knowledge of what we were doing. We have no disillusions about where we live. We believe that our presence in this neighborhood, our hope in this neighborhood and what it could be, can only be positive.