Detroit
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Spring
It’s the first day of spring, time for me to reawaken from my winter hiatus. Not that it’s exactly t-shirt and shorts weather just yet. It’s been a brutal winter. Spring is going to take awhile to fully get here. Out with the Big Guy and the Medium Guy thisRead More …
Detroit Bankrupt? Duh, Ya Think?
The door that’s been open for much too long was finally kicked in today. Judge Rhodes declared the D is eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Gee, what a surprise. And it only took 5 months and several million dollars to figure that out. Not blaming the judge, mind you. HeRead More …
Yellow is the Color of Foreclosure
It’s that time of year again. Out and about with the Big Dudes, I spot yellow plastic bags stapled to door frames and porch rails, stuck on stakes in empty lots. Detroit is collecting its trash in the form of burned out houses and overgrown lots, more auction material noRead More …
Diary of an Abandoned House
It sat on a fenced-in corner lot, a nice looking, pseudo-brick house, 2, maybe 3 bedroom, complete with a garage bordering the alley, if Detroit still had working alleys that is. Not sure what to call them now. Empty Space formerly known as Alley? Two majestic pines dominate the frontRead More …
I Know Where The Brain-Dead Go
I’ve known for awhile where at least some of the brain-dead people go: they either run for office in, or go to work for, the city of Detroit. The fact that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department hires the brain-dead was confirmed today when three, count em, THREE (3) employeesRead More …
In Like A Lion
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a place with four distinct seasons. Albuquerque came closest, I guess, with its five minutes of Spring and Fall separating its bitter, mile-high Winter and its blistering, brain-melting Summer. Back in Detroit. Think I’ve mentioned that before. Here there are fourRead More …
Fire and Rain
The moon is nearing full. I can see it outside my bedroom window. Clear sky. Cold. Back in Detroit. Back home. Who would believe that shit? Look down upon me, Jesus. This city is in the toilet. Is that the way it should be? Seen fire. Seen rain. Detroit inRead More …
A City of Two Tails
I’ve been back in Detroit exactly a month and a day. A few folks I know, mostly my relatives, wonder if I’m crazy. My son even asked me if I’d gone senile. Well, crazy yes, but then I’ve always been a bit crazy. Senile? Who knows. Could be. Detroit hasRead More …
No More Nothing To Do
Don Watts, a long time friend, once said to me that owning a home means never having nothing to do. That’s especially true if the house you buy has been sitting vacant for a number of years. The one I’m sitting in at the moment, listening to rainwater drip intoRead More …
Never Say Never
The title of this post is a bit of a contradiction, not to mention a bit cliche, but, as far as sound advice goes, it has its salient points. Back in late 81 – or was it early 82? Winter in any event – I packed up the last ofRead More …
Finn
Back when I was a wee lad, oh so many years ago, the nearest library was a mile away from my home, at the corner of Burt Road and Finkell Street in Detroit. In my child’s mind it was a vast stone building gleaming white as the heart of aRead More …
D5 Creation