Comments on: The Informants Next Door

By: Twisty

Twisty — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:25:21 +0000

Carol, the hood to which I alluded in this post was Compton Heights, but at one time or another, you name it, I lived there. Soulard. The CWE. Shaw. And yes, U City. Although when I lived in U City it was a fabulous ungentrified hell-hole. I can’t imagine anyone telling anyone to get rid of anything in those front yards, except maybe when your pile of old syringes got high enough to block some crazy old crone’s view of the dumpster, whereupon she’d let you know by throwing cats at your windows.

Surely you meant to say you lived in Parkview?

By: Carol

Carol — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:37:27 +0000

Amazing how many of us Texans are exiled to STL. Where did you live? It sounds just like where we were. University City where talk of diversity is celebrated as long as everyone looks and acts the same and all yards AND cars are uniform. No Pickup trucks were allowed where they could be viewed from the street. Seriously, it made me want to buy a truck. I couldn’t wait for my sister to drive up for a visit. I had a Texas flag on the front of the house (YEA!) and a bench from Smith & Hawken in the front yard. A nice bench and plant on the porch from which to watch the children play. We recieved a letter giving us one week to tidy the yard and get rid of all yard decorations and all the furniture. Come on, I didn’t have a couch out there for heaven sakes! They also told us we had to make the backyard look more “uniform”. We’re talking gardens, planter’s with tomatoes and skateboard ramps. WHAT!? Children’s toys! Until we moved in and our boys played outside, no one knew there were so many children in the neighborhood. No signs of them anywhere. Of my group of friends, there are 7 of us, only 1 is from there. Hmmm…
I have since escaped, not back to TX yet, We’re in Maryland now, but at least we’re out of the midwest. My daughter lives in Austin so, I still have my connection to the greatest Country there is.
And yes, the Texas flag is flying proudly in front of my Annapolis house.

By: Chris Clarke

Chris Clarke — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Tish Hinojosa has a crappy boat? Damn. I love her even more now.

First thing we did when we moved into our current suburban neighborhood, with its pale white and ppale yellow tract homes, was to rip out our lawn and paint the house the color of an overripe persimmon.

This is what I’m talking about, here.

By: Twisty

Twisty — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Holy crap, Chris. If that house were in my neighborhood they’d have a festival in your honor.

By: cafesiren

cafesiren — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Twisty,

I have friends involved in a neighborhood association in a part of the formerly mostly pretty rough town where I live. I find them creepy, when they get on such kicks. Their idea of a fun time is inviting everyone (including those of us who don’t live in their neighborhood, and who are in fact property renters, rather than homeowners) over for a flier-folding party.

No kidding.

I would never tell them, but I am cheering for their neighbors — there much longer than my friends have been — who habitually hold noisy birthday parties for their kids involving live music and inflatable bouncy-castle things on the lawn.

Now, StL has quirky stuff in the environs. Ever cross into Collinsville, IL, and see the “World’s Largest Bottle of Catsup”? I’d add a copy of the picture I took when I was there, if I knew how.

By: Twisty

Twisty — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The giant ketchup bottle is indeed a hoot. It’s the most famous thing in St. Louis after the Arch and toasted ravioli. I have gazed upon it in wonderment many times.

By: Chris Clarke

Chris Clarke — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

If that house were in my neighborhood they’d have a festival in your honor.

In my neighborhood they call it “The Pumpkin,” and everyone asks us if we’re from Berkeley.

We get some slack because the house was a vacant, rotting wreck when we bought it.

By: miz_geek

miz_geek — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Have you been there at Christmas?

By: WookieMonster

WookieMonster — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Damn that looks like a fine place to live. I could never understand buying a house just so you could be told what you could and couldn’t do with it. Why not just rent an apartment and get it over with.

By: ae

ae — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

…under cover of morning. Ha!

I dig the parrots. Who could begrudge them a little sunshine-basking on that nice limb from which their homes hang? Only parrot haters.

Chris, the persimmon is fantastico!