South of Sunnyside

Today is Blog Action Day. I just heard about it yesterday, but I’m intrigued by the concept; the spotlight for 2008 is on poverty, a prominent issue throughout the community.

Poverty has many symptoms, only one of which is a lack of shelter, let alone permanent (read: purchased) shelter. But it’s a bit unnerving to think of how many families are less than a paycheck away from losing the roof over their head.

The original idea behind South of Sunnyside was to detail life in my neighborhood, which seems to be in rapid decline now that the housing bubble has burst and the economy’s tanked. At the end of the day, though, I walk through the front door of a home I can claim as mine, and there are tens of thousands of people in our community alone who don’t have that luxury.

Honestly, it’s a serious subject, and I’m at a loss for words.

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want you to do that.

I’m under two weeks away from an event that comprises my largest responsibility at work, but I’m taking a few days to get away…to my aunt’s wedding in Baton Rouge.

I’m ready (I think?) for the event, but stress has been accruing for some time. And it’s good to get away sometimes—I hear it can help to renew appreciation for Fresno to get away. I’ve forgotten that California’s restrictions on little things like smoking in buildings greatly improves quality of life for non-smokers; say what you want about Fresno’s air quality outside, I’ll take it over the smell of stale smoke any day (and won’t be surprised if I return with a sinus infection).

Oh, and that new cell phone law: I appreciate it now, after riding in a rickety 15-passenger van while the driver talked on hers. Is it too much to ask that at least one of the wheels be in balance?

Tonight I came home to a pleasant surprise: the two foreclosed properties adjacent to ours donned freshly-mowed lawns. And Kim didn’t have to do the work. It seems the investor that purchased the homes from the bank decided it was time to take care of them.

Rumor has it that one of the houses, along with another one on the north side, are up for sale. Not that the value of our home matters much anymore (we don’t mind paying two mortgages on the original amount…at all), but these properties are discounted about $150,000, compared to the purchase prices just three years ago.

Of course, if these two houses sell (and that’s a big if), as of the first of the month there are two newly-abandoned homes to take their place.