I am an unabashed fan of any and all neighborhood message boards and newsletters. I rarely post on the board, but I love reading the flame wars, pile-ons, self-righteous rants, and earnest screeds. Oh, and the occasional useful bit of information that happens to filter through.
Our last neighborhood had an insanely active and frequently contentious board. One year the debate over whether a local Realtor should put American flags in everyone's front yard for the Fourth of July stretched out well into August. People fretted that the flags were too messy, too nationalistic, too Stepford, too stupid. It was awesome.
I admit I was disappointed to see our new neighborhood board is more docile because it's much less entertaining that way. Lost dogs, restaurant reviews, the occasional notice of a break-in, a little crabbing about zoning ordinances. That's about it. So I was mildly delighted to read these lines in our latest newsletter:
The driveway trash can situation will not go away by itself if it is ignored. Looking the other way may only lead to a nightmare.
This bit of hyperbole is especially funny given where we live. Our neighborhood is quiet, comfortable, and full of old, graceful trees. Most of the people are friendly and interesting--kind, even. But it has its, uh, challenges. Before I tackled the trash cans in the driveway problem, I might look first at the abandoned houses, the junked cars, the garbage-strewn creeks, the prostitutes.
Nevertheless, I salute our local Don Quixote for speaking his mind. For the record, we pull our cart up from the curb every week but leave it in the driveway next to the garage. So far no one's complained. And I don't really care if anyone puts an American flag in my yard or not. I can always pull it up.