fureverywhere
beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
- Location
- Northern NJ, USA
We live in a North Jersey suburb. Hubby's parents bought this house in 1968 just before the Newark riots. As I've written before there was little maintenance done so the house itself is in sad shape. Even if we had unlimited resources, repairs would cost more than buying a new house.
But I was thinking about it today. So what that the house should be condemned? Actually I really appreciate that we can live here. It's a diverse population accepting of all ethnic groups, all faiths, all orientations. Compare that to the small town we once lived in. That was a loooonng couple years there.
I won't name the town...of course if you really want to know feel free to PM me. But it was as if the calendar had froze in maybe 1955. If you were a Conservative, Caucasian and Christian it was like Mayberry. Picture perfect little houses, manicured lawns, everyone knowing their neighbor.
But beneath the surface it was horrifying. I remember this truck that would park proudly in the town square. On it's sides were huge photos of dismembered fetuses. The kids school even had pro-life day...I was proud when my kids refused to participate. Oh and the next town over had the second largest KKK chapter in the nation.
I saw people driven out of town for being the wrong color. There was a morality clause for college employees. My favorite professor had to move her family to New York state and commute. There were rumors that someone had seen her holding hands with her wife. She was afraid for her job and her families safety.
The one bookstore in town had to conform as well. They did have books about homosexuality...on the top shelf of a dark store room. If you knew they were there you were free to browse. Oh and all those events took place in 2007, not 1955...
Compared to where we live now. People are accepted happily to love whoever they choose. One of the yearly town events is a huge Pride Festival. The bookstore's front window display every June is LGBT authors. I passed the high school a few hours ago. In honor of the Orlando victims there is a ten foot rainbow banner over the front door. I am so glad to live here.
But I was thinking about it today. So what that the house should be condemned? Actually I really appreciate that we can live here. It's a diverse population accepting of all ethnic groups, all faiths, all orientations. Compare that to the small town we once lived in. That was a loooonng couple years there.
I won't name the town...of course if you really want to know feel free to PM me. But it was as if the calendar had froze in maybe 1955. If you were a Conservative, Caucasian and Christian it was like Mayberry. Picture perfect little houses, manicured lawns, everyone knowing their neighbor.
But beneath the surface it was horrifying. I remember this truck that would park proudly in the town square. On it's sides were huge photos of dismembered fetuses. The kids school even had pro-life day...I was proud when my kids refused to participate. Oh and the next town over had the second largest KKK chapter in the nation.
I saw people driven out of town for being the wrong color. There was a morality clause for college employees. My favorite professor had to move her family to New York state and commute. There were rumors that someone had seen her holding hands with her wife. She was afraid for her job and her families safety.
The one bookstore in town had to conform as well. They did have books about homosexuality...on the top shelf of a dark store room. If you knew they were there you were free to browse. Oh and all those events took place in 2007, not 1955...
Compared to where we live now. People are accepted happily to love whoever they choose. One of the yearly town events is a huge Pride Festival. The bookstore's front window display every June is LGBT authors. I passed the high school a few hours ago. In honor of the Orlando victims there is a ten foot rainbow banner over the front door. I am so glad to live here.
