The Leisureville Alarm – Meet the Author
Last week I reviewed nationally acclaimed and New York Times reviewed book, Leisureville
A former Los Angeles Times reporter, Andrew Blechman conducted the most in-depth research into the retirement community boom in America. These aren’t just small, benign communities dotting the landscape here and there…some will approach over 100,000 and they are big business for developers. One more thing…children are not allowed (not without special permission and a pass and they better not be there beyond 30 days over the course of the YEAR).
Most importantly we have to ask what message will this leave for the youth of today and tomorrow? How will they feel to be excluded in this way and what will that mean for us as we grow old? Will they continue to support our pension and old age benefits system?
This is a podcast for everyone to listen to and as Andrew points out, especially moms!
Reality vs Fantasy – A Survey
This blog is all about the joys, challenges and opportunities of community life. There is of course another community of which I’m a part and by extension so is this blog. That’s the online community that includes bloggers, readers and the whole gamut of web 2.0 forums that help us to connect, interactively with one another.
In the spirit of connection I’m responding to a Blog Reader Challenge put on by Kelly McCausey of WAHMTalkRadio. Kelly blogs over at WAHM2.0 on the Sparkplugging blog network. Yesterday she issued a challenge to bloggers asking for the community to blog about one or more topics listed in the challenge, including the following choice question:
What do you wish your kids would say to you?
Well…as my son enters his Junior year at high school and my daughter prepares for college, here’s what I wish my kids would say to me (the realist):
Son (as he arrives home from high school): Hi mom! I had a great day at school 
The assistance you gave me last night as I did my trigonometry homework was superb! You didn’t confuse me at all and I shall come to you always with my homework when I need to hear the voice of wisdom.
Daughter (as she returns to residence after class): Hi Mom – I decided to call you long distance to tell you what a wonderful day I had! My professors were so engaging – I can’t wait to get into my homework. There is some freshman party tonight at the student pub that I have no interest in attending as, after all, I’m still underage and there may be drinking there. Plus I don’t like all the noise and raucous behavior that will distract me from my scholarly endeavors. Anyhow, I love you and I kiss the picture of you and Dad every night before I go to sleep (after saying my prayers). Love you!
Okay, that about does it. That’s what I’d like my kids to say to me
New Urbanism Developments Clashing with the Real Thing?
New urbanism is a nod to the past and an acknowledgment that we love to live in neighborhoods where we can stroll to the corner store, socialize with friends and family close to home, utilize public amenities and services that help us to live in an eco-friendly ways, and work in an office down the street or in our homes.
That’s the new urbanism dream in a very simple nutshell. Best of all it’s not just a dream anymore – we’re reshaping old cities and building new communities across the country that meet these goals.
There are, however, still many people who fear new urbanism because it’s not perfect. They worry that some of the new urbanism communities being developed are too “fake” looking. They worry that because many newly built “new urbanism” communities also attract big retailers that these communities will compete with the real thing (e.g., historic towns, urban city cores).
I don’t get it. Why the worry?
New urbanism isn’t just about the buildings, it is about a mindset. We should be happy that we have a growing segment of the population that simply wants people friendly communities. We should be overjoyed that developers and city planners are thinking of ways to make old and new communities equally eco-friendly. It’s hard to live a green lifestyle without some solid help and leadership from our community leaders and service organizations (like recycling services, etc.).
The new urbanism movement is making all of this possible.
One of my favorite OLD new urbanism cities is Montreal…take a look at this article heralding a recent new urbanism seminar there but also raising some of the same old concerns we always hear about…click here to read.
Neighborly Chat – Try It
Are you one of those people who run hurriedly into the house/car/garage the minute you glance your neighbor next door?
It’s okay to admit your neighbor phobia because of course you’re not alone. But really do you think it would be that bad if you were to stop and talk for a minute?
I’m not being Mr. Rogers or anything but I happen to be married to a man who was not naturally the neighborly type. Before meeting me I think he believed neighbors were not of this world (or at least his).
Maybe he thought his hair might ignite if he spent 30 seconds talking to some of the people who live closest to us. Whatever it was, I got him out of it about 10 years ago and while he is no chatty Cathy he never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of who moved in where and who’s getting work done on their house, etc.
The other morning he and I were sipping our coffee on the front porch when all of a sudden I heard “Hi C!”
I asked hubby who that was and he informed me that the voice was coming from our newest neighbor and it didn’t stop there. Hubby was able to tell me all sorts of interesting facts about our new neighbor’s love life and renovation plans (he’s engaged).
Even if you live on acres of land in a rural area, it’s still nice to have a neighbor in your vicinity to share a warm drink in the winter, or to call upon when you need a hand with something. City life and suburban life are truly better if you’re among acquaintances, instead of strangers. Don’t you agree?
Hard to Go Vegan on July 4th Weekend
I’ve been thinking about it and I’m not really certain that I can go vegan…yet. I’m pretty convinced by the argument that our modern means of keeping animals for slaughter and the slaughtering process itself contributes to our ill health and harms the environment. Hopefully with all this attention there will be an increasing effort to make the slaughtering process a more humane and eco-friendly necessity in our lives.
So while I’m a luke-warm meat eater (most of the year), come the July 4th weekend (well any major summer barbecue weekend) I become a very enthusiastic carnivore.
Across the nation as we gather in our communities to celebrate our love of country and neighbor there will be a few consistent elements drawing people together. Flags, music, fireworks, and…barbecued meat! Neighbors, children, grandparents–the whole, great cross section of your community will be gathered in parks to celebrate our nationhood together.
It helps to have the sweet smell of your favorite meats cooking. It’s an image and experience we cherish throughout our lives. Food cooked really well, outdoors for all the senses to enjoy.
So for those of you that are vegetarian or vegan my hats off to you. I’m sure you’re having as much fun as the next person during your July 4th holiday festivities.
I will think of you as I lick my fingers clean!
BBQ Ribs Southern Style:
4lbs country style pork ribs (trim the fat)
4 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp. all purpose flour
3/4 cup Jack Daniels (or to taste)
1/2 ground mustard seeds
4 tbsp. Worcestshire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Hot Sauce of your choice
Marinate ribs: place in a baking dish. Stir together lemon juice and flour until it is smooth. Add all other ingredients. Spread mixture over the ribs – make sure you turn over ribs to coat well. Marinate for 2 hours.
Grill: Place your marinated ribs over medium to hot coals and grill for about 1 hour. Mmmm!
Graduation Joy
What makes our communities so special are the interests we share and the bonds that develop because of it. Don’t underestimate it. Those bonds help to shape your community in ways that can enhance your family’s development, build your career or business, and ultimately help the wider community at large.
Last night I witnessed how the love of community and friendship really shapes a young person for the future. Our eldest graduated from high school. Yes that was an emotional moment. Not only was my little baby graduating from the very school I graduated from more than 2 decades ago, but I saw in her and her friends the same joy, excitement and anticipation for the future that I had so long ago and carry with me to this day.
As the valedictorian for her class said “We’re at the peak of our lives!”. She encouraged her “sisters” to be kind and compassionate citizens of the world and to remember their training and preparation to be responsible and conscious women in a world that needs them.
This is a community of young women who are going to change the face of the world for the better – just like millions of other young people around the world.
As I looked at my daughter hugging her girlfriends with all her might, I felt joy in the community she was blessed to be part of during her 4 years of high school and such appreciation for the common bond they built that was not only about themselves but about all that they plan to give as loving people and stewards of this world.
Congratulations to Hannah Jane and the SJMP Graduating Class of 2008!
Our Town: Pictures and Music
This morning I read once again an article that highlighted a reporter’s misperception about new urbanism. He explained how new urbanist communities are the ideal communities for those who want to live the green lifestyle but that “most people” can’t afford to live in these communities. Every time I read this I have to sigh.
New urbanism communities are not just new constructed high end communities or re-developments in costly areas of the city. New urbanism is also a lifestyle and a mindset. It is about examining how we live together in community with one another and how we can adjust our city or town policies and guidelines to enhance our social and physical environments. If anything, new urbanism is about making communities more accessible to a variety of income earners. Many new developments are specifically designed to give opportunity for healthy, green living to low and middle income residents.
Yesterday we celebrated our annual village festival which actually started out almost 40 years ago as an act of protest and activism against development that would have torn out the soul of our old community and made us a useless bedroom community with no purposeful commercial or artistic center to encourage residents to work and play where they live. These guiding objectives help to cut environmentally costly commutes and encourages people to be engaged and supportive of green living, small business and safe community initiatives. We all benefit from that.
Thanks to our act of protest decades ago we now have a thriving social and commercial center that supports safe and healthy lifestyles for families and and makes it easier for people who want to work at home or close to home.
Yesterday’s festival attracted upwards of 50,000 people from our outlying rural areas and the huge metropolitan city to the south of us.
It’s an event that just about everyone looks forward to because of the friends we’re able to connect with in the community, the activities for the kids and the fabulous food, arts and crafts that are available for purchase or barter!
Rather than ramble on about how great the Unionville Festival was I thought I’d just show some pictures from our event and remind you once again what a benefit it is to our families, our businesses and social life to celebrate and make a big deal about where we live – that attitude transformed our sleepy bedroom community into a vital new urbanism center.
Here’s a picture to give you an idea of the size of the crowd filling our Main St. during the festival. The street is closed for the day.
This festival isn’t just about browsing it’s about entertainment too. Click on the video link below to get a small taste of an amazing teen named Rob Christian. Rob performs all over the country but he’s a native of our region and it was a thrill to have him again at our annual festival. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this talented musician in the years to come:
Young Jazz Talent at Unionville Festival 2008
One of my husband’s favorite activities is buying food–especially his favorite hot sauce from a vendor who is also at our weekly farmer’s market.
On our Main St. we also have beautiful heritage homes so garden and house gazing is a nice activity too. Here’s a friendly home owner waving at this paparazzi!
A Little Inspiration
When you feel uninspired and unenthusiastic about your work or life priorities at hand, what do you do? Do you read inspirational literature or maybe put on your favorite CD?
Being the community obsessed person that I am I often get inspiration from travel and when I can’t travel (which is most of the time) I visit my favorite locales in a virtual sense by looking at pictures either on the computer or in my albums. It’s a good thing the virtual trip can do the job for me when needed othewise I’d be in debt buying plane tickets!
Join me on my trip today.
Southern Ohio (Yellow Springs/Dayton area): The 9 hr. drive for us is worth it since we visit my husband’s childhood favorites like delicious Young’s Dairy farm (excellent ice cream!).
Another reason we like southern Ohio is the softly rolling hills that shape the landscape. Our travelling music for these rural trips is usually Simon and Garfunkel… “Slow down you move too fast, you got to make the morning last just kicking around the cobble stones; looking for fun and feeling groovy…”
And finally for a slightly different pace my other little escape I love returning to is Negril, Jamaica. Nothing like community life in this beach town. Sunsets on the beach really do look this.
What Is So Special About Where You Live?
Today’s brainy quote that I found on the web:
“A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one.” Aristotle
I like this quote because it is so true about so many cities. Sure New York is great with its 9 million residents, but so are many smaller cities in the U.S. and elsewhere. What makes a city great is the mix of people and ideas, not the size.
I was born in a great old city London (U.K.) then moved to a much smaller but still pretty interesting city on it’s own (Toronto). When I was about 7 my parents moved us way out to the suburbs and for many years after that I really missed the cozyness and familiarity of my old city neighborhood.
I’ve had a hard time shaking that infatuation with old, vibrant neighborhoods–the kind that define so many cities.
How can you not enjoy the mix of cultures, lifestyles, businesses and ideas that make a city so interesting? Today I read an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about that city’s efforts to continue its transformation from a dieing rust belt city to a new millenium city – one that is proud of its industrial past but aggressively reaching out to the creative and passionate people who are looking for a city with potential.
Here’s their idea: Cleveland has a concentration of top consumer product design companies and product manufacturers (like Moen faucets) so why not designate a section of the city as the District of Design.
Not only does Cleveland have it’s eyes set on attracting consumer product and furniture designers but it is also focused on reaching the college students who are also attracted to the city’s world class Museum, Art and Music institutes.
This is an example not just for grand old cities but for struggling communities, villages and towns everywhere. Find what is unique and distinctive about your region and engage residents and business owners in a discussion about what your community can become.
Sure these are uncertain economic times but it is also a time to regroup and determine how best we are going enhance our communities to support our lifestyles, our businesses and our childrens’ future.
Shaping our cities and towns into destinations that reflect the unique characteristics and goals of the people that live there is a way to help boost our local economies. With the high cost of gas, more people will be travelling locally and that could be good news for your community.
I encourage you to read this article and see how it might apply to your efforts to build your business, community, or career.
Dealing Effectively with Major Changes in Our Lives
Being a mom today can be exhilarating, joyful, maddening and anxiety ridden–often all at once. We deal with demands from various corners of our communities including our families, our clients, our employers, our girlfriends, our neighbors and ourselves.
Most of those demands and issues we can address without too much inner stress. But how well do each of us manage major transitions in our lives?
We all experience significant changes at various times from having a baby, to starting a business, to ending a marriage – major life changes can take many forms. Sometimes change drops into our lives unannounced and at other times it is as inevitable as the rain. What is certain is that life transitions can affect us at many levels–sometimes causing physical symptoms that serve as a wake up call.
How we deal with the impact of this kind of change can be very important to our health, our happiness and our families. Today’s show will examine 6 ways to deal effectively with major life transitions in our lives.
Don’t forget to listen for the “secret phrase” – this is the last week to enter Moms Talk Radio’s May ipod contest. Once you hear me say the secret phrase, write it down and enter it in the “Listen to Win” form at the bottom of the page at www.momstalkradio.com. Good luck!
To access this podcast please leave a comment below to contact me. Thank you.
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