Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Odds and Ends and How Raleigh is Changing

My car is kept in fairly neat fashion; I am nothing if not organized. I can handle a bit of dust or pollen, but when the biscuit crumbs and flower refuse start piling up enough to obscure the carpet - I want it cleaned!! I started thinking about getting my car cleaned out and washed back in November, but I never quite found the time and the extra money when it was convenient.  

Today, I had my fill of dirt, crumbs and pollen inside and dirty rain streaks on the outside. I went to the local car wash and paid through the nose, as we say, to have a clean car once again. I'd swear it rides better now!! Sometimes I see into cars parked beside me only to see piles of papers, shoes, discarded jackets and fast-food wrappers, and I'm appalled that anyone can stand to drive or ride in a car like that. 

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This morning, I went to a local medical supply store. What they have available for a disabled person is amazing. Mr. K needs a cushion for his tush. He sits on it so much that it has begun to complain. I found a great cushion with a cut-out spot for the tailbone area, and he really likes it. Too bad I didn't see them months ago. I also bought a "swivel" cushion for the car seat. My upholstery is velour and he has a hard time getting into the car seat and turning to face the front. The tag said this one supports up to 350 pounds( and he is nowhere near that) but it didn't work for him. Twice I watched him get into the car and the swivel top didn't move at all while he was on it. It was disappointing for us both. Maybe I can get him a padded steel Lazy-Susan.....LOL.  I prefer cloth seats; they are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer - but I think next time I buy a car, I'll have to get leather so he can sliiiiiiiiiide in. 

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There is so much construction going on in Raleigh right now that soon it will be wall to wall buildings, with hardly any green grass or trees in sight. We are known as the "City of Oaks" but if they don't quit cutting them down to build, that will soon be a memory. Not far from where we live now, there used to be a huge meadow, with a small, picturesque creek ambling through it, and high above it all, on a bluff, there was a lovely home with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the meadow. Not long after we moved to Raleigh in 1969, that meadow was sold by the man who lived on the bluff and construction began on the largest shopping mall in our area. Residents questioned the traffic it would bring, and were told not to worry, that the "powers that be" had it all figured out and they would make sure that traffic concerns were not a problem. At this point, it is morbidly amusing to see how the people of Raleigh were lied to back then. The intersections on either end of that mall, which has been enlarged at least twice in the last 30 years, are the busiest in the state and regularly have bottlenecks. The creek?  it was a floodplain, and that mall flooded twice in the first year it was open. Of course a lot of expensive work was done on the waterways feeding into that creek so that the flooding wouldn't happen any more. 

Sometime last year the bulldozers entered the property up on the bluff, which had been unused for about ten years. They cut down every tree, scooped off some of the bluff to make it lower and more level and started building what I'm told are condos. I drove by there today, and instead of verdant land, wildflowers and large trees, there is nothing green at all and at least 4 buildings can be seen from the road. I am so sad to see that beautiful property carved up into ticky-tacky boxes. It would have made a lovely neighborhood of 5-10 houses with decent-sized yards, but of course, greed has won and high-density is the goal of developers. Considering that traffic is already horrendous in that area, one would think that nothing else would be considered for building there - but no - there is yet an other slice of land on a hill behind the mall that is slated for more construction in a few years. I know there will be regrets in the future for what is being done now......but I won't be around to see it happen. I'm sort of happy about that. 


8 comments:

tiff said...

That's the problem with being on all those 'top ten' lists. People want to be here. >:(

Jay said...

I find that having a convertible really motivates me to keep my car tidy. Not only is it more visible to others, it's a responsible safety issue...you wouldn't want even a small scrap of paper flying out at the car behind you on the highway.

Anonymous said...

Not as organized as you are, Judy, but I did get a heavy duty detail a month ago ($249) and I am more inclined to keep the car clean.

Everywhere is growing, but I live in a townhouse myself so I guess I won't complain. Every city I go into these days is under construction and development. Capitalism. But, I guess that means the economy is turning around.

Granny Annie said...

If my CT scan from Monday doesn't show what is wrong with my leg and they fix it, I am going to need one of those swivel seats to get in my car.

We do not have any car detailing places within a 45 mile radius of us. I miss pulling into a place and driving out with a very nice and neat vehicle that I did not have to bend and stoop and scrub myself.

oklhdan said...

Judy, I have the same problem getting into my car. I need to slide because of my hip. We purchased a leather slipcover just for my side of the car. It was less expensive then getting all leather seats. It works great and I can replace it if I wear it out.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

It seems as if GREED always wins out in these situations. I can understand your dismay Judy....In the over 50 years I've lived here in Los Angeles, I have seen changes that are truly sickening....And it's always about building something that won't impact we, the neighbors. City Walk, up at Universal is a perfect example---and now they want to expand in such a HUGE way, there is no way they can even pretend it won't impact us....! The city and the Politicians are in bed with Private Enterprise.....And The Residents, Be Damned!

Sorry that seat didn't work out for Mr. K...it sounds like a perfect solution.

Ginnie said...

Hi Judy: Lots of stuff in your blog post but I was disappointed that the swivel seat thing in the car didn't work. As you know I write about things that help us "oldsters" on the UNlimiters
website and thought that would be a good one ... until it didn't work !!!

kenju said...

Ginnie, see what Olkhdan said above about her seat problem and how she solved it.