It's a nice, cool day here on West 8th Street! About 3/4's of the leaves have fallen off of the trees. Some although are completely "neckid" and others look like the crisp 26 degree lows haven't affected them at all. But most are quickly losing what adornment they have in the gusty winds that have been blowing around town.
Speaking of "gusty winds"...(Hows that for a segue?)
A few days ago, my home town elected 5 new alderpersons and a new mayor.
Note: Alderperson = Not an alderman nor a alderwoman but a ALDERPERSON! Yes....very PC isn't it? :-)
Mr. Bill Gluba garnered 60% of the vote to defeat Phil Yearington.
Here in the 3rd Ward, Bill Boom defeated the incumbent Keith Meyer to be our "representative".
I'm going to go a little bit out of my normal routine here and give a few opinions on what this all means for the great City of Davenport. And please keep in mind that they are indeed "opinions" !
First of all I want to talk about the 3rd Ward which is the ward I live in and the Ward the major part of West 8th Street is in.
It was time for Mr. Meyer to go. He had much support during his first 2 terms as 3rd Ward alderman, living only a few blocks from West 8th Street on Marquette St.
Keith was somewhat of an eccentric. Many would say he was "all" eccentric.
Many times disheveled and unkempt in public, his demeanor was usually that of a kind old man. But as time went on, it seemed he became more spiteful and angry.
Much of this was because of people like Charlie Brooks, may he rest in peace, and Jamie Howard whom Keith got off on the wrong foot with by wishing her a "Black" Christmas during a committee of the whole session.
At the time, I could almost understand Keith's explanation of the whole thing....almost. On the other hand, Jamie took exceptional offense to the comment and thus started a tumultuous relationship which would work to the detriment of our great city.
Keith always sided with the "little people". Which only made sense since they were the main part of his support.
But what was his undoing was his bitterness from being lambasted constantly by other aldermen to the point where he felt it necessary to retaliate by accusing others of lying and other forms of deceit.
Near the end, Keith refused to vote one way or the other for motions put before the council. When interviewed by local newspapers, he refused to give his age or respond to their questions.
Keith would ask questions that the other alderpersons did not want asked nor did they want to answer. Sometimes his questions were off subject but some times so much right on the money that he would catch people with their guard down.
Weather it was because of his conspiracy type thinking or the determination of the other alderpersons to push through their agenda, Keith became totally ineffective as a representative.
And while I'm on the subject of a "representative" I want to scold those, including our local newspaper, The Quad City Times, for insisting that we were choosing our "leaders".
If I vote for a leader, I think of voting in a presidential election.
But our alderpersons are NOT leaders so to speak but REPRESENTATIVES. It is their job to represent their constituency, not necessarily lead them.
Keith played the part of being a Representative to a fault. Most of the other alderpersons wanted to be leaders. Again, this may have been a big part of what ailed our council.
All in all, I would have liked to have a "Keith Meyer" Light. Someone who would know how to choose his fights better. One who could take a punch and keep on keeping on.
In the end, Keith let himself get knocked down too many times....seemingly punch drunk most of the time.
It really was too bad, because Keith Meyer is a good man!
Unfortunately, I believe that our council is now pretty much a rubber stamp for the Davenport Chamber of Commerce otherwise known as Davenport ONE.
We will see exactly where this will take us but I believe this council will be more focused on helping the business sector thrive and support new business rather than street, sewer or sidewalk repairs and putting more police on the street.
Your author in his next blog will discuss the new (and old) mayor of Davenport.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Water, Water Everywhere....
....but not a drop to drink.
The precise quote is:
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink"
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Here on West 8th Street we've had much rain in the last 3 days. And when it rained, it came in buckets and sheets. Fungi is growing in a neighbors front yard and we are starting to look more like a rain forest rather than a residential area.
The vegetation, including the grass obviously loves the moisture but there have been numerous flood warnings and watches posted throughout the area! We of course, here on West 8th Street haven't anything to worry about when it comes to flooding but the Mighty Mississippi lies only a short 8 blocks away and those closer, up to 3rd Street have been at times affected by the Old Man's whim.
Our great metropolitan area"s motto used to be, "A River Runs Through It" but the citizenry re-coined it, "A River Runs Over It". Humor during serious events seems to be a specialty of ours!
The moisture has kept the citizens of West 8th Street away from their duty of mowing their grass. I'm sure that after this slow moving cool front finally moves through our little corner of the world, the sounds of gas powered lawn mowers will no doubt be deafening.
Listening to the National Weather Service on my weather radio at this moment it tells me that Thursday night we are to expect a "record setting low" in the mid 50's.
It's 6:30pm and quite overcast and dark looking as your blogger types this out and the temperature is sitting at 88 F.
The 50 F. temp will be a blessed event.
As we stood outside the air was so thick with moisture that it was uncomfortable to even take a deep breath.
Although your author has a great love for the fall season, one will never hear him complain about the heat and humidity since he remembers all too well the month of January here on West 8th Street.
The precise quote is:
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink"
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Here on West 8th Street we've had much rain in the last 3 days. And when it rained, it came in buckets and sheets. Fungi is growing in a neighbors front yard and we are starting to look more like a rain forest rather than a residential area.
The vegetation, including the grass obviously loves the moisture but there have been numerous flood warnings and watches posted throughout the area! We of course, here on West 8th Street haven't anything to worry about when it comes to flooding but the Mighty Mississippi lies only a short 8 blocks away and those closer, up to 3rd Street have been at times affected by the Old Man's whim.
Our great metropolitan area"s motto used to be, "A River Runs Through It" but the citizenry re-coined it, "A River Runs Over It". Humor during serious events seems to be a specialty of ours!
The moisture has kept the citizens of West 8th Street away from their duty of mowing their grass. I'm sure that after this slow moving cool front finally moves through our little corner of the world, the sounds of gas powered lawn mowers will no doubt be deafening.
Listening to the National Weather Service on my weather radio at this moment it tells me that Thursday night we are to expect a "record setting low" in the mid 50's.
It's 6:30pm and quite overcast and dark looking as your blogger types this out and the temperature is sitting at 88 F.
The 50 F. temp will be a blessed event.
As we stood outside the air was so thick with moisture that it was uncomfortable to even take a deep breath.
Although your author has a great love for the fall season, one will never hear him complain about the heat and humidity since he remembers all too well the month of January here on West 8th Street.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Update.....
It's been a long time since I've actually added anything to this blog and your author apologizes for this. I could say we've been busy or distracted but we will not because there actually isn't any excuse, BUT.....we will go on from here and try to be more "timely" in our postings.
With that said, it's onward and upward!
In The Sumertime:
Summertime here on West 8th Street is actually very nice and mostly quiet. Of course everything is "greened" up and people in the neighborhood, for the most part, take good care of their lawns.
We do have an abandoned home down the street a ways and the back yard looks like something out of a Tarzan movie but other than that, all the yards look good.
A neighbor nearby has a very nice lawn and has it maintained by some business that specializes in yard maintenance.
Your authors own lawn is not so "pristine" but I've made one promise to myself and that is whatever grows in my yard at least "looks" like grass, even though it may not be classified as such!
The McGruff Factor:
The warm days of summer are upon us and most of the citizens of West 8th Street are staying inside for the most part and partly because of this, crime, as far as this author is aware of, is at a minimum right now.
But of course with school not being in session we do have a problem with groups of unsupervised children "strolling" down the alley at night sometimes. In one case, a neighbor had their battery taken out of their vehicle but the vehicle was in very poor condition, being used only for transportation of a dirt bike to and from a track not far from here.
Renting For Fun:
We have a few of what this author calls "vagabond landlords" who rent their homes to whoever first shows up with cash in hand.
One such landlord that we have talked to seems to rent his property out more as a hobby rather than a cash flow operation. He'll rent to a family who then lives in the home for 1 - 3 months, they trash it, stop paying the rent and then move out in the middle of the night to some other undisclosed location.
Eventually he discovers that his "tenets" have flown the coop so to speak and him and his wife dutifully come in to clean and repair the home for the next tenet.
This landlord explained to me one time that the previous tenets, whenever the floor was in dire need of sweeping would lift the fresh air vents from the floor and sweep the dust and dirt into them and then replace the grating.
I suppose that this was efficient for the tenet but hell on the furnace when it had to be used in the winter time.
When those tenets finally moved out, on the sly of course, I seen the landlord carrying out multiple buckets of dirt he had removed from the venting system of the furnace.
This author has suggested to him that when he is looking for a new tenet he should make it a point to check their credit rating with the three credit reporting agencies.
I tell him that if he uses a good credit rating as his measure of who to rent to, that he might be able to keep out the "undesirables", knowing that at least those with a good credit rating at least pay the rent and their other bills in a timely manner. Also this avoids the "fairness" matter altogether. No race, creed, color or religion is taken into account when renting the home with this method.
But obviously my advise has so far gone unheeded and at this time, the home has sat vacant for the last 3 weeks while being rehabbed for it's next adventure.
Also in our fair neighborhood, at the beginning of each month, there seems to be at least one renter who would rather have their belongings removed from the premises by the landlord and put out near the alley for all to view and rummage through than move it to their new abode.
This at times causes a problem with the neighbors as they look for items of some value in the piles of what is otherwise junk and the stuff gets strewed about the area.
Looking Out My Window:
I see green everything and nice, well maintained homes. I also see that our fair city needs to redo or repair the curbing on West 8th Street. It has become rundown and shoddy looking.
Keeping The Faith:
Although living here on West 8th Street is mostly uneventful, the author would like to see a "Neighborhood Watch" group formed. I am of course unsure if this blog is ever read but if anyone who lives within a reasonable distance of West 8th Street would like the same they could post a reply to this blog and I would respond in kind.
With that said, it's onward and upward!
In The Sumertime:
Summertime here on West 8th Street is actually very nice and mostly quiet. Of course everything is "greened" up and people in the neighborhood, for the most part, take good care of their lawns.
We do have an abandoned home down the street a ways and the back yard looks like something out of a Tarzan movie but other than that, all the yards look good.
A neighbor nearby has a very nice lawn and has it maintained by some business that specializes in yard maintenance.
Your authors own lawn is not so "pristine" but I've made one promise to myself and that is whatever grows in my yard at least "looks" like grass, even though it may not be classified as such!
The McGruff Factor:
The warm days of summer are upon us and most of the citizens of West 8th Street are staying inside for the most part and partly because of this, crime, as far as this author is aware of, is at a minimum right now.
But of course with school not being in session we do have a problem with groups of unsupervised children "strolling" down the alley at night sometimes. In one case, a neighbor had their battery taken out of their vehicle but the vehicle was in very poor condition, being used only for transportation of a dirt bike to and from a track not far from here.
Renting For Fun:
We have a few of what this author calls "vagabond landlords" who rent their homes to whoever first shows up with cash in hand.
One such landlord that we have talked to seems to rent his property out more as a hobby rather than a cash flow operation. He'll rent to a family who then lives in the home for 1 - 3 months, they trash it, stop paying the rent and then move out in the middle of the night to some other undisclosed location.
Eventually he discovers that his "tenets" have flown the coop so to speak and him and his wife dutifully come in to clean and repair the home for the next tenet.
This landlord explained to me one time that the previous tenets, whenever the floor was in dire need of sweeping would lift the fresh air vents from the floor and sweep the dust and dirt into them and then replace the grating.
I suppose that this was efficient for the tenet but hell on the furnace when it had to be used in the winter time.
When those tenets finally moved out, on the sly of course, I seen the landlord carrying out multiple buckets of dirt he had removed from the venting system of the furnace.
This author has suggested to him that when he is looking for a new tenet he should make it a point to check their credit rating with the three credit reporting agencies.
I tell him that if he uses a good credit rating as his measure of who to rent to, that he might be able to keep out the "undesirables", knowing that at least those with a good credit rating at least pay the rent and their other bills in a timely manner. Also this avoids the "fairness" matter altogether. No race, creed, color or religion is taken into account when renting the home with this method.
But obviously my advise has so far gone unheeded and at this time, the home has sat vacant for the last 3 weeks while being rehabbed for it's next adventure.
Also in our fair neighborhood, at the beginning of each month, there seems to be at least one renter who would rather have their belongings removed from the premises by the landlord and put out near the alley for all to view and rummage through than move it to their new abode.
This at times causes a problem with the neighbors as they look for items of some value in the piles of what is otherwise junk and the stuff gets strewed about the area.
Looking Out My Window:
I see green everything and nice, well maintained homes. I also see that our fair city needs to redo or repair the curbing on West 8th Street. It has become rundown and shoddy looking.
Keeping The Faith:
Although living here on West 8th Street is mostly uneventful, the author would like to see a "Neighborhood Watch" group formed. I am of course unsure if this blog is ever read but if anyone who lives within a reasonable distance of West 8th Street would like the same they could post a reply to this blog and I would respond in kind.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Spring Has Sprung?
Well, it's been almost a month since I've "reported" from West 8th Street.
We've had a very nice taste of spring about a week ago but now we're back into the grip of ol' man winter with blustery winds and a low tonight getting into the "teens".
I've seen flowering pear trees blooming their heart out but now the blossoms are wilted from the frigid temps. The grass is green and in most yards needs cutting already!
Our next door, drug dealing neighbor is still up to his old tricks. I've must have sat here 3 times since you last heard from me and watched a vehicle pull up for a delivery.
It takes no longer than 10 - 15 seconds and the window is rolled up and the car speeds away!
I'd call the police but I'm sure the first thing they would ask me is how I know he is dealing drugs, which after all is a reasonable question.
I guess I could tell them that long ago I used to, how should I say it, be a part of that sect. Of course, I'm not much for "true confessions" so I just won't call.
Perhaps next time I'll get up and walk out into my front yard and watch. See if I can make anyone nervous.
We've had a very nice taste of spring about a week ago but now we're back into the grip of ol' man winter with blustery winds and a low tonight getting into the "teens".
I've seen flowering pear trees blooming their heart out but now the blossoms are wilted from the frigid temps. The grass is green and in most yards needs cutting already!
Our next door, drug dealing neighbor is still up to his old tricks. I've must have sat here 3 times since you last heard from me and watched a vehicle pull up for a delivery.
It takes no longer than 10 - 15 seconds and the window is rolled up and the car speeds away!
I'd call the police but I'm sure the first thing they would ask me is how I know he is dealing drugs, which after all is a reasonable question.
I guess I could tell them that long ago I used to, how should I say it, be a part of that sect. Of course, I'm not much for "true confessions" so I just won't call.
Perhaps next time I'll get up and walk out into my front yard and watch. See if I can make anyone nervous.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Well, it's been a while since I reported from W. 8th Street in Davenport, Iowa so I thought I'd sit down and throw out a few words!
As I've mentioned before, people here on the block and in the neighborhood just basically hunker down when it gets cold out. You don't see very many citizens out on the street cept' for the kids coming home from school and the adults leaving and coming home from work.
In the last few weeks, since about the 18th of February, we've suffered a major ice storm, power outages, thunder snow and blizzard like conditions.
We here on West 18th Street take it all in stride, going about out business and just looking forward to some warmer weather.
Today through this coming Tuesday we just might get our wish. The weather peeps are calling for "above normal" temperatures through out the period with the warmest day to be on Tuesday, up into the mid 60 degree range.
My North facing home still has lots of snow on the lawn since it sits in the shadows but if it gets into the 60's then I'm sure it will melt away pretty quickly.
You can look on the trees and see the tiny buds starting to swell a little although nothing yet in the form of a leaf has appeared.
I have yet to see my first robin but I'm sure that I will spy one soon with the warmer temps.
Yesterday we had a pretty good rain and that helped wash down the salt covered streets in the neighborhood, and they needed the cleaning pretty badly.
About 3 weeks ago, a block South and a block East we had a tragedy where a man was saying he was going to commit suicide. The police were called and as they talked to him, with a knife in his hand, he charged towards the officers. Unfortunately, they had to defend themselves with deadly force and the man was killed.
We here in the neighborhood of course hate to seen something like this take place so close to home but it was understandable what the Davenport Police did. Our hearts go out to those this poor soul left behind!
Events like this are thankfully few and far between in the neighborhood. Since I've been on West 8th Street, (about 9 years) there have been 3 killings in all. The one I just mentioned, another one a couple of houses down where a man was trying to break into another mans home and then there was a body discovered on the church property about a block away to the East.
But for now, all is well here on West 8th Street and life goes on for most of us.
As I've mentioned before, people here on the block and in the neighborhood just basically hunker down when it gets cold out. You don't see very many citizens out on the street cept' for the kids coming home from school and the adults leaving and coming home from work.
In the last few weeks, since about the 18th of February, we've suffered a major ice storm, power outages, thunder snow and blizzard like conditions.
We here on West 18th Street take it all in stride, going about out business and just looking forward to some warmer weather.
Today through this coming Tuesday we just might get our wish. The weather peeps are calling for "above normal" temperatures through out the period with the warmest day to be on Tuesday, up into the mid 60 degree range.
My North facing home still has lots of snow on the lawn since it sits in the shadows but if it gets into the 60's then I'm sure it will melt away pretty quickly.
You can look on the trees and see the tiny buds starting to swell a little although nothing yet in the form of a leaf has appeared.
I have yet to see my first robin but I'm sure that I will spy one soon with the warmer temps.
Yesterday we had a pretty good rain and that helped wash down the salt covered streets in the neighborhood, and they needed the cleaning pretty badly.
About 3 weeks ago, a block South and a block East we had a tragedy where a man was saying he was going to commit suicide. The police were called and as they talked to him, with a knife in his hand, he charged towards the officers. Unfortunately, they had to defend themselves with deadly force and the man was killed.
We here in the neighborhood of course hate to seen something like this take place so close to home but it was understandable what the Davenport Police did. Our hearts go out to those this poor soul left behind!
Events like this are thankfully few and far between in the neighborhood. Since I've been on West 8th Street, (about 9 years) there have been 3 killings in all. The one I just mentioned, another one a couple of houses down where a man was trying to break into another mans home and then there was a body discovered on the church property about a block away to the East.
But for now, all is well here on West 8th Street and life goes on for most of us.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
It's been a fateful 10 days here on West 8th Street in Davenport.
A block to the South and a block to the East one man got stabbed in the chest during a fight with another over a girlfriend.
From what we've been able to find out, he'll be "ok".
We've had some more snow here and I have to tell you that it's been a few winters since we've had so much snow on the ground. The temperatures have been sub zero for their lows up until the last couple of days and some days never got into the double digits. But we are promised by Teresa and Terry that a warm up is on its way on Monday and that we'll get might close into the 40's. Melting will surely take place then and perhaps some of the Southern facing areas will lose much of its winter blanket.
Your blogger and faithful West 8th Street reporter admits to having a bad case of cabin/spring fever and can't wait to be able to sit comfortably outdoors with only a t-shirt and shorts on. Alas, I know it just might be a while until that happens but in March we've been known to experience every form of weather possible. Hopefully some of that will be something in the 70's.
But for now, my only day off from work this week, I have things to take care of. My front sidewalk (which faces North) is still covered from our last snowfall so that is on my list of to do items.
There are other things needing taken care of and I have a list of them sitting in front of me now.
One thing I should mention is that the 1st Ward Alderman, Mr. VanFossen has recently spent some time in the county pokey, arrested for allegedly assaulting his "estranged" wife and then after being released from custody the next day he "allegedly" violated an order of protection she had secured against him and was returned to the county jail post haste.
This blogger doesn't know if he is actually guilty or not of the stated crimes but the hub bub around town has labeled him as a drunkard and a fiend.
Mr. VanFossen is a retired Davenport police detective and is quite familiar with the goings on of the police department. For him to make such grievous errors in judgement one can only assume that either he didn't care about the punishment he had to know would be delivered or he truly is innocent of the charges. Either way, our fair city is abuzz with news about him and his "antics".
Hope you all are having a good weekend!
Good bye from West 8th Street in Davenport, Iowa.....for now.
A block to the South and a block to the East one man got stabbed in the chest during a fight with another over a girlfriend.
From what we've been able to find out, he'll be "ok".
We've had some more snow here and I have to tell you that it's been a few winters since we've had so much snow on the ground. The temperatures have been sub zero for their lows up until the last couple of days and some days never got into the double digits. But we are promised by Teresa and Terry that a warm up is on its way on Monday and that we'll get might close into the 40's. Melting will surely take place then and perhaps some of the Southern facing areas will lose much of its winter blanket.
Your blogger and faithful West 8th Street reporter admits to having a bad case of cabin/spring fever and can't wait to be able to sit comfortably outdoors with only a t-shirt and shorts on. Alas, I know it just might be a while until that happens but in March we've been known to experience every form of weather possible. Hopefully some of that will be something in the 70's.
But for now, my only day off from work this week, I have things to take care of. My front sidewalk (which faces North) is still covered from our last snowfall so that is on my list of to do items.
There are other things needing taken care of and I have a list of them sitting in front of me now.
One thing I should mention is that the 1st Ward Alderman, Mr. VanFossen has recently spent some time in the county pokey, arrested for allegedly assaulting his "estranged" wife and then after being released from custody the next day he "allegedly" violated an order of protection she had secured against him and was returned to the county jail post haste.
This blogger doesn't know if he is actually guilty or not of the stated crimes but the hub bub around town has labeled him as a drunkard and a fiend.
Mr. VanFossen is a retired Davenport police detective and is quite familiar with the goings on of the police department. For him to make such grievous errors in judgement one can only assume that either he didn't care about the punishment he had to know would be delivered or he truly is innocent of the charges. Either way, our fair city is abuzz with news about him and his "antics".
Hope you all are having a good weekend!
Good bye from West 8th Street in Davenport, Iowa.....for now.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
This Week on West 8th Street
It's been a cold, cold week here on West 8th Street. We've had temperatures as low as -11 degrees F. at night according to my home thermometer. A couple of days ago we also had about a 4 inch snowfall that "cleaned" up the neighborhood by adding a new white layer.
People have been hunkering down trying to wait out the frigid temps and I haven't seen too many of them outdoors except for the brave souls coming out to shovel their walks.
We had an "environmental" inspection this last Tuesday and quite a few of the rental properties on W. 7th St. were sited for various infractions such as abandoned vehicles, parking on bare ground, improperly disposed of trash and the like. Letters were sent out to the tenants and the landlords threatening fines and court costs if the violations were not taken care of.
Some of the problems are due to the cold temps and the fact that people just don't want to be outside at all. Some of the neighbors were, and still are at this writing, pulling their cars right up to the back door of the house to shorten the walk inside.
Of course, this whole problem will be solved with the thaw and spring rains, otherwise the newly trodden driveways will be come quagmires of mud.
We still have some graffiti left over from last summer that needs to be taken care of. Nobody wants to see that type of special vandalism in their neighborhoods and West 8th Street residents are no different.
I hope to be writing to you again soon about the warmer temps and melting of the snow here on West 8th Street.
People have been hunkering down trying to wait out the frigid temps and I haven't seen too many of them outdoors except for the brave souls coming out to shovel their walks.
We had an "environmental" inspection this last Tuesday and quite a few of the rental properties on W. 7th St. were sited for various infractions such as abandoned vehicles, parking on bare ground, improperly disposed of trash and the like. Letters were sent out to the tenants and the landlords threatening fines and court costs if the violations were not taken care of.
Some of the problems are due to the cold temps and the fact that people just don't want to be outside at all. Some of the neighbors were, and still are at this writing, pulling their cars right up to the back door of the house to shorten the walk inside.
Of course, this whole problem will be solved with the thaw and spring rains, otherwise the newly trodden driveways will be come quagmires of mud.
We still have some graffiti left over from last summer that needs to be taken care of. Nobody wants to see that type of special vandalism in their neighborhoods and West 8th Street residents are no different.
I hope to be writing to you again soon about the warmer temps and melting of the snow here on West 8th Street.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Happenings In the Neighborhood
If your entire world is on West 8th Street then it's been a rather boring week. But we all are part of a bigger "neighborhood" and in our neighborhood there's been some happenings.
One very sad event took place 4 blocks away from West 8th Street on W. 4th St.
A 17 year old girl was walking with her friend behind the Save A Lot grocery store when her 27 year old ex-boyfriend appeared with a gun and shot her three times. It didn't take long for Davenports finest to track the would be murderer down and put him where he couldn't hurt anyone else.
The girl, although in critical condition at first is recovering and will survive.
Lucky for her and also lucky for those of us in the neighborhood that her so called ex will no doubt not be attending any social events for quite some time.
Of course the question begs to be asked as to why a 17 year old girl was even allowed to have an "ex" boyfriend who was 10 years older?
You could also take the ages and bring them down by one year reasonably since he is an ex-boyfriend. That would leave a 16 year old girl with a 26 year old boyfriend!
Incredible.....
Moving on, a few days ago the wife and I were leaving our home for dinner at Kelly's when as we were pulling out we noticed a large amount of brush clippings that someone had unceremoniously dumped in the middle of our alley. It was such a large amount that it blocked traffic in both directions. I would imagine someone was "making a statement" about our cities garbage and recycling fees.
It could have been taken 3 miles away down to the compost site and for probably less than $2 been dumped there but obviously whoever did this was in a hurry or just didn't have the cash on hand.
It used to be long ago that our "sewer" fees were all part of our water bill that arrived every 3 months. The "fees" were split and suddenly it seemed that we were paying almost twice as much for our water/sewer service and we were receiving two bills every 3 months.
Of course through the years the costs for both have gone up and our leaders have added to the sewer portion of our bill what they call "fees" for various city services. We now have a "garbage" fee, a "recycling" fee and a "storm water runoff" fee all tacked onto the sewer bill. And of course, our property taxes haven't decreased but have in fact increased on average over the years.
I haven't seen much of our allegedly drug dealing neighbor lately but stay tuned.....it's Saturday and things tend to "go down" more on the weekends.
The weather here on West 8th Street was almost balmy Friday. I believe Terry Swails on channel 6 said it got up to 47 degrees! The snow and ice was melting at a rapid pace. The South facing sides of our yards on West 8th Street have very little snow left in place.
We are promised though that the temps will fall and stay pretty much steady for the foreseeable future. Right now at my trusty weather station it is 32.2 degrees. That number is probably askew since the transmitter is in the bright sunlight right now.
All in all, things keep clicking along here on West 8th Street. I hope you have had a good week! Stay warm and remember, spring is only 2 more house/rent payments away!
One very sad event took place 4 blocks away from West 8th Street on W. 4th St.
A 17 year old girl was walking with her friend behind the Save A Lot grocery store when her 27 year old ex-boyfriend appeared with a gun and shot her three times. It didn't take long for Davenports finest to track the would be murderer down and put him where he couldn't hurt anyone else.
The girl, although in critical condition at first is recovering and will survive.
Lucky for her and also lucky for those of us in the neighborhood that her so called ex will no doubt not be attending any social events for quite some time.
Of course the question begs to be asked as to why a 17 year old girl was even allowed to have an "ex" boyfriend who was 10 years older?
You could also take the ages and bring them down by one year reasonably since he is an ex-boyfriend. That would leave a 16 year old girl with a 26 year old boyfriend!
Incredible.....
Moving on, a few days ago the wife and I were leaving our home for dinner at Kelly's when as we were pulling out we noticed a large amount of brush clippings that someone had unceremoniously dumped in the middle of our alley. It was such a large amount that it blocked traffic in both directions. I would imagine someone was "making a statement" about our cities garbage and recycling fees.
It could have been taken 3 miles away down to the compost site and for probably less than $2 been dumped there but obviously whoever did this was in a hurry or just didn't have the cash on hand.
It used to be long ago that our "sewer" fees were all part of our water bill that arrived every 3 months. The "fees" were split and suddenly it seemed that we were paying almost twice as much for our water/sewer service and we were receiving two bills every 3 months.
Of course through the years the costs for both have gone up and our leaders have added to the sewer portion of our bill what they call "fees" for various city services. We now have a "garbage" fee, a "recycling" fee and a "storm water runoff" fee all tacked onto the sewer bill. And of course, our property taxes haven't decreased but have in fact increased on average over the years.
I haven't seen much of our allegedly drug dealing neighbor lately but stay tuned.....it's Saturday and things tend to "go down" more on the weekends.
The weather here on West 8th Street was almost balmy Friday. I believe Terry Swails on channel 6 said it got up to 47 degrees! The snow and ice was melting at a rapid pace. The South facing sides of our yards on West 8th Street have very little snow left in place.
We are promised though that the temps will fall and stay pretty much steady for the foreseeable future. Right now at my trusty weather station it is 32.2 degrees. That number is probably askew since the transmitter is in the bright sunlight right now.
All in all, things keep clicking along here on West 8th Street. I hope you have had a good week! Stay warm and remember, spring is only 2 more house/rent payments away!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Welcome to West 8th Street
Geeze, it got cold last night. When I got up this morning it was +8 degrees F in the neighborhood.
The sun came out brightly today but didn't do much to melt any of the ice/sleet/snow we got in the last couple of days. Looks like winter time has finally set in around here!
The Davenport city council has been working on making the Red Light and Speed cameras they have set up around the city legal. There used to be two close to the neighborhood but now there is only one left.
The one still standing is pretty much at the beginning of West 3rd Street. It's a speed camera and actually it's in a great spot to catch people going over the speed limit.
That end of 3rd Street (a one-way going East) doesn't normally have much traffic and drivers take advantage of that by pressing on the gas a little more than they should.
It tends to make me think that at least this camera is more for making money for the city than keeping people safe but in the end it probably acomplishes both.....just one more than the other.
The "former" red-light camera location was at 4th and Division.
I'm not sure why that camera isn't there any more. The city, I'm sure, spent quite a bit of money putting in the posts, wiring and all that but it only stood there for a few months and then it was gone.
In fact, I think it was one of the first red-light cameras installed.
Maybe it wasn't making enough money, who knows.
The city is pretty mum on all of their reasonings for where they put the cameras and where they don't.
All I know is that I haven't become a victim of one of these cameras as of yet. There have been times when I thought I might have but I've not gotten one of the tickets in the mail.
Here it is 5:50pm and it's already dark here on West 8th Street.
I can't wait until spring. There will be a lot more to talk about.
Stay tuned.
Geeze, it got cold last night. When I got up this morning it was +8 degrees F in the neighborhood.
The sun came out brightly today but didn't do much to melt any of the ice/sleet/snow we got in the last couple of days. Looks like winter time has finally set in around here!
The Davenport city council has been working on making the Red Light and Speed cameras they have set up around the city legal. There used to be two close to the neighborhood but now there is only one left.
The one still standing is pretty much at the beginning of West 3rd Street. It's a speed camera and actually it's in a great spot to catch people going over the speed limit.
That end of 3rd Street (a one-way going East) doesn't normally have much traffic and drivers take advantage of that by pressing on the gas a little more than they should.
It tends to make me think that at least this camera is more for making money for the city than keeping people safe but in the end it probably acomplishes both.....just one more than the other.
The "former" red-light camera location was at 4th and Division.
I'm not sure why that camera isn't there any more. The city, I'm sure, spent quite a bit of money putting in the posts, wiring and all that but it only stood there for a few months and then it was gone.
In fact, I think it was one of the first red-light cameras installed.
Maybe it wasn't making enough money, who knows.
The city is pretty mum on all of their reasonings for where they put the cameras and where they don't.
All I know is that I haven't become a victim of one of these cameras as of yet. There have been times when I thought I might have but I've not gotten one of the tickets in the mail.
Here it is 5:50pm and it's already dark here on West 8th Street.
I can't wait until spring. There will be a lot more to talk about.
Stay tuned.
Monday, January 15, 2007
West 8th Street on the Rocks!!
Welcome to West 8th Street in beautiful Davenport, Iowa!
Well, we had ourselves quite an ice storm taking place in the last couple of days. Starting out with rain, it then turned to slush, then freezing rain and finally a little snow.
The wife had hard time getting into her car this morning. The doors were all frozen shut.
I was able to get into mine only because I have a remote start so it had a good while to warm up and thaw the locks.
So now out my widow appears a winter wonderland for only the second time this season.
The first one didn't last too long but I suspect this one will hand in there for a few weeks.
We are of course in the middle of January but we are a month into the days getting longer and slowly but steadily it will start warming up....noticeably by the first or second week in March. That means 6 - 7 weeks more of cold weather.
West 8th Street will get through it....
Well, we had ourselves quite an ice storm taking place in the last couple of days. Starting out with rain, it then turned to slush, then freezing rain and finally a little snow.
The wife had hard time getting into her car this morning. The doors were all frozen shut.
I was able to get into mine only because I have a remote start so it had a good while to warm up and thaw the locks.
So now out my widow appears a winter wonderland for only the second time this season.
The first one didn't last too long but I suspect this one will hand in there for a few weeks.
We are of course in the middle of January but we are a month into the days getting longer and slowly but steadily it will start warming up....noticeably by the first or second week in March. That means 6 - 7 weeks more of cold weather.
West 8th Street will get through it....
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Salting West 8th Street?
Really unusual is the fact that West 8th Street was salted during the night last night while a freezing rain fell. Usually, since West 8th isn't a main throughfare, it remains iced or snow packed until days after the weather event.
I supose it's because the city hasn't had the need for all their salt due to the unusually mild weather we've had so far.
But here it is, January in Eastern Iowa and the weather forcasters are calling for some snow tonight. If it does snow, it will be only the 2nd time this winter. The first time was in late November of 2005 and we got 5 inches.
I've heard everything from 2 to 8 inches tonight.
It would be nice if the city of Davenport would have an inspector tour the neighborhood. As the winter goes on, people are becoming more and more slack on observing city ordinances.
In the block that I live in I suspect that half the housing is rental and the other half owner occupied.
The ordinaces apply to both types of course but there is more of a problem with the rental properties.
There's this one house which had been well taken care of and owner occupied.
The owner passed away and the house was sold.
The first thing the new owners did after moving in was to tear out the alley side chain link fence so they could park in the back yard.
Those owners eventually allowed the property to be repossesed.
New owners came along and they rented the house out. The "renters" are parking in the back yard again.
I know what the yard will look like in the spring.
I supose it's because the city hasn't had the need for all their salt due to the unusually mild weather we've had so far.
But here it is, January in Eastern Iowa and the weather forcasters are calling for some snow tonight. If it does snow, it will be only the 2nd time this winter. The first time was in late November of 2005 and we got 5 inches.
I've heard everything from 2 to 8 inches tonight.
It would be nice if the city of Davenport would have an inspector tour the neighborhood. As the winter goes on, people are becoming more and more slack on observing city ordinances.
In the block that I live in I suspect that half the housing is rental and the other half owner occupied.
The ordinaces apply to both types of course but there is more of a problem with the rental properties.
There's this one house which had been well taken care of and owner occupied.
The owner passed away and the house was sold.
The first thing the new owners did after moving in was to tear out the alley side chain link fence so they could park in the back yard.
Those owners eventually allowed the property to be repossesed.
New owners came along and they rented the house out. The "renters" are parking in the back yard again.
I know what the yard will look like in the spring.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Traffic report....
Welcome to West 8th St.
Since my last posting, I've watched three other vehicles pull up next door...actually in front of my house, and my neighbor coming out of his appartment only to stick his head in the passenger side window for 10 seconds or so and then as he walks back inside, the car speeds off!
I didn't recognize any of the vehicles as belonging to the neighborhood. In fact all of them were very nice vehicles...newer, like 2005 - 2007 models.
I have the blind which covers "most" of the window about 2' to my left raised slightly so I can see out generally without being noticed. The last car that pulled up I attempted to take a photo of so I could post it on this blog but I wasn't fast enough.
I don't want anyone to think that my neighborhood is "full" of drug dealers because it's not but what we have here is one bad apple and a failure of our local law enforcement.
Since my last posting, I've watched three other vehicles pull up next door...actually in front of my house, and my neighbor coming out of his appartment only to stick his head in the passenger side window for 10 seconds or so and then as he walks back inside, the car speeds off!
I didn't recognize any of the vehicles as belonging to the neighborhood. In fact all of them were very nice vehicles...newer, like 2005 - 2007 models.
I have the blind which covers "most" of the window about 2' to my left raised slightly so I can see out generally without being noticed. The last car that pulled up I attempted to take a photo of so I could post it on this blog but I wasn't fast enough.
I don't want anyone to think that my neighborhood is "full" of drug dealers because it's not but what we have here is one bad apple and a failure of our local law enforcement.
I was sent an email by a good friend containing about 7 new rules for 2007.
I agreed with three of them and thought them worth sharing.
New Rule #1:
There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.
New Rule #2:
Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.
New Rule #3:
If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying" Do you want fries with that?
_____________________________________________________________
I would like to start of saying it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood but it's overcast, cold and looking like it could snow some.
I have this neighbor who lives in the upstairs apartment next door. He's this black guy, I've talked to him when he first moved in and he seems like an intelligent, friendly sort.
He's lived there with his wife and kid for about the last 6 months now. And after watching things that have been going on for that long I've come to the conclusion that he's dealing drugs.
Proof? I have none but my suspicions actually. My experience from my previous life has shown me what to look for when drug deals are "going down".
One day I'll see a nice looking Chevy pull up in front. My neighbor comes out the door and gets into the car and it drives off. Ten minutes later the car pulls back up, sits there for a bit and my neighbor jumps out and the car takes off.
He then goes back into his apartment.
A couple of days later, an entirely different car pulls up and the same thing happens.
Although I'm not here %100 of the time to see what is going on, I have seen this enough to think there is something happening.
For all I know, this guy might have a lot of friends from various backgrounds that comes to take him for a ride around the block a few times.
Or more likely, he's "dealing" and as a smart drug dealer will do, he would rather do his dirty work somewhere other than his own neighborhood.
Either way, stand by for more on this guy.
I agreed with three of them and thought them worth sharing.
New Rule #1:
There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.
New Rule #2:
Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.
New Rule #3:
If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying" Do you want fries with that?
_____________________________________________________________
I would like to start of saying it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood but it's overcast, cold and looking like it could snow some.
I have this neighbor who lives in the upstairs apartment next door. He's this black guy, I've talked to him when he first moved in and he seems like an intelligent, friendly sort.
He's lived there with his wife and kid for about the last 6 months now. And after watching things that have been going on for that long I've come to the conclusion that he's dealing drugs.
Proof? I have none but my suspicions actually. My experience from my previous life has shown me what to look for when drug deals are "going down".
One day I'll see a nice looking Chevy pull up in front. My neighbor comes out the door and gets into the car and it drives off. Ten minutes later the car pulls back up, sits there for a bit and my neighbor jumps out and the car takes off.
He then goes back into his apartment.
A couple of days later, an entirely different car pulls up and the same thing happens.
Although I'm not here %100 of the time to see what is going on, I have seen this enough to think there is something happening.
For all I know, this guy might have a lot of friends from various backgrounds that comes to take him for a ride around the block a few times.
Or more likely, he's "dealing" and as a smart drug dealer will do, he would rather do his dirty work somewhere other than his own neighborhood.
Either way, stand by for more on this guy.
West 8th Street Blog
Good morning Davenport!
I am not a journalist, reporter but a lowly warehouseman who finds comfort in typing out my thoughts. I suppose it's a way for me to sort through all that takes place in my life. Assigning priorities and sifting out the chafe.
My experience is that in high school I took a "creative writing" class and did pretty good at it. Early on in 8th grade at Frank L Smart Junior High School, my father almost insisted I take a typing class. I passed that class with a blazing typing speed of 63 wpm. (My wife types 93 wpm!) Now in the days of the internet, it serves me well.
After graduating, I continued what I had been doing in my writing class by making entries in a journal.
Although it is piecemeal at best since I didn't write in it every day it contains much of my experiences and thoughts as a young man.
I have one other main blog that I make entries to. My desire is to keep these two blogs of mine separate. Besides me authoring both of them, they have nothing else in common.
I am keenly aware that this blog can be read by anyone with an internet connection.
As I try my best to maintain my anonymity I know that I have to balance it with current events within my neighborhood, which is the purpose of this blog.
My "neighborhood" is not a "happening" place. It has had it's times though that would make one think that it is. I will be commenting on my thoughts and feelings of what I see and hear on W.8th Street in Davenport, Iowa.
I am not a journalist, reporter but a lowly warehouseman who finds comfort in typing out my thoughts. I suppose it's a way for me to sort through all that takes place in my life. Assigning priorities and sifting out the chafe.
My experience is that in high school I took a "creative writing" class and did pretty good at it. Early on in 8th grade at Frank L Smart Junior High School, my father almost insisted I take a typing class. I passed that class with a blazing typing speed of 63 wpm. (My wife types 93 wpm!) Now in the days of the internet, it serves me well.
After graduating, I continued what I had been doing in my writing class by making entries in a journal.
Although it is piecemeal at best since I didn't write in it every day it contains much of my experiences and thoughts as a young man.
I have one other main blog that I make entries to. My desire is to keep these two blogs of mine separate. Besides me authoring both of them, they have nothing else in common.
I am keenly aware that this blog can be read by anyone with an internet connection.
As I try my best to maintain my anonymity I know that I have to balance it with current events within my neighborhood, which is the purpose of this blog.
My "neighborhood" is not a "happening" place. It has had it's times though that would make one think that it is. I will be commenting on my thoughts and feelings of what I see and hear on W.8th Street in Davenport, Iowa.
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