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Column off the cuff, on the run
(by Barbara Christian - May 20, 2010)
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Column off the cuff, on the run
So here I sit in front of my computer monitor, watching the cursor mock me. My fingers are posed over the keys, but nothing is coming. In short, I am having trouble coming up with a column for this week. What to do, what to do?
I could talk about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how the former U.S. president and vice president -- oilmen both -- screwed things up by relaxing drilling standards. They should be called to testify too, right along with BP, Tansocean and Haliburton.
But the BP oil spill and the Gulf of Mexico are not technically located in the Times' reader area, so I had better stick closer to home. And yet there are BP gas stations in the area. Sure hope they have all the proper safety valves and shut-off devices on their pumps. Don't want petroleum leaking into the river or the Chagrin Falls sewer system, now do we?
Could talk about Blossom Time. That's coming up next week. Could suggest we send up a prayer for perfect weather, like last year. The Jaycees do a spectacular job of bringing that all together, and the proceeds go to a variety of good causes, but good weather is key.
Always look forward to the police blotter the following week. But when you think about it, there are far fewer incidents than you might expect during such a wall-to-wall-compacted event as is Blossom Time.
The only downside to Blossom Time is it tends to overshadow Memorial Day, which was established to recognize those who died for freedom, including the freedom to hold and attend an event like Blossom Time.
So we have covered politics, the environment, Blossom Time and Memorial Day. What else is there out there to talk about? Could draw attention to the condition of the former Sassy Cat building on Main Street and how it could use a coat of paint.
At least it's occupied again. The Chagrin Foundation for Arts and Culture is using it for its headquarters, and I think the building owner may be letting them have it free of charge or for very little. You might say what the old building lacks in paint is made up for in community betterment of a different aesthetic kind.
What to write, what to write? Maybe I could say something about how longtime resident and Scout leader Art Kvacek, who leads a pack of Boy Scouts who planted a mini-forest of trees at the Whitesburg Nature Preserve pavilion.
You say you didn't know there was a pavilion in Whitesburg? It's located off North Street, although you can't access it from the street, so don't go running through residential property trying to find it. You must wend your way through the trail system to get to it. The pavilion has been there for years, before Whitesburg, when the area was a private fish and game club.
Good job, Art, kids. Now, how about this? Is there such a thing as a cartography badge? If so, maybe the Scouts could earn theirs by mapping Whitesburg. It would be a great "big-picture" asset for visitors and residents, joining the less-than-descriptive engineer's map that exists under Plexiglas in the parking lot. Maybe a place for take-along maps could be included in the project too.
What? That's it? That's all the space I have? Wow! Another column goes into the books. Now, that wasn't hard at all.
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