Thursday, March 29, 2007

Be it ever so humble...Home Sweet Home T3

“Whhhhhhy, back in MY day…”
Good morning all, it’s time for you to clamber into the Wayback Machine and participate in this week’s “The More Things Change” Edition of the Axis of Weevil Thursday Three!

Our inquiries this week were supplied by our favorite college professor and small-engine repairman, who claims he was inspired by my recent jaunt through the freshly-constructed suburbs south of town--suburbs that in my youth were full of free-roaming wooly mammoths and cave-dwellers. At least in the perception of my youngest child.

Anyway, as is the usual case, all of you are free to play along by either leaving your answers in the comments below or a link to your very own blog.

And away we go--

1. Do you still live in the town where you grew up? If not, what do you miss the most? If so, what has changed the most?

I've lived in the same one-mile radius my entire life, except for the years at college. We were once near the western edge of the city, with farm fields about five minutes away. Now you need to drive quite a distance before you see a cow.

2. Does your family still own the house you grew up in? Either way, what was it like the last time you saw it?

My mom finally sold the family homestead about five years ago. We had moved there when I was five, so it really was where I did my growing up. I drove past it last week: it still looks pretty much the same, a larger red brick bungalow on a wider-than-usual lot.

3. What is the biggest change in the last 5 years where you live now?

Greenfield Avenue was the main drag when the city was new. JC Penney, Sears, Woolworth and Walgreens all had stores on a five block stretch. When I was in high school, development (and retail along with it) had moved west, and the street was in decline. In the last five years or so, it's seen an upswing, but with a much more eclectic choice of establishments. Chinese food, high-end dining, tanning, hair services, new books, used books, quality printing, three banks, new/used music, medical professionals, cooks' supplies, high-end curios, resale clothing shops, piercings and tatoos are all available on that same stretch today. And those are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Several buildings have been torn down/rebuilt or remodeled, and it appears there is life in the old street yet.

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