Oh, Mercy, Mercy Me

Things ain't what they used to be.
What about this overcrowded land.
How much more abuse from man can she stand?

So I was driving to do some very expensive food shopping (is there any other kind nowadays?), and noticed that there was a sign up along a really nice stretch of woods on the side of the road.

Coming soon! Some development with some "quaint" name that will make you all think we're doing you a favor and that more houses are better than woods! Stay tuned! We're busy improving your lives, people! Get excited about it!

There are signs like this all over the place up here. If they don't say that, they say For Sale!! And I just know, that a year from now, the lovely old woods will be gone, and replaced with some "lovely" and "quaint" development of oversized houses on large lots, or a whole shitload of condominiums. All in the name of progress.
Truly, it makes me want to vomit. Anyone else feel that way? We thought, when we moved up here, that we were getting away from the overdevelopment Long Island is "famous" for. Unfortunately, this county seems to want the overdevelopment worse than Long Island did. They are building huge stores everywhere, houses all over the place, knocking down trees and erasing farms. My guess when we first moved up here was that in 10-15 years we're looking at Long Island all over again. We thought we maybe got away with something, and were giving our children a chance to see some open spaces. However I think, by what I've seen in the 2 years I've been here, I'd have to narrow that guesstimation down to 5. We got away with nothing. Our children will know the same crowding we do.
Two weeks ago, I went to a hearing at the town hall because a builder decided that the pond at the end of our block wasn't good enough and he wanted to put houses on it. Three, in fact. He had spent a year and a half filling in the pond, and marking out the houses, and had actually built a foundation for one of them---15 feet from the nearest neighbor. Now the property in total is probably 2 or 2 1/2 acres. But because this lovely gentleman wanted the 3 houses on it, it warranted the houses to be somewhat close together. Very nice. Because of this, he was needing some major variances to put the houses as close together as he wanted, because in this town, you now can't build a house on less than an acre and a half. Obviously, 3 houses on 2 or 2 1/2 acres means no one gets that acre and a half. This was the problem.
So, I went down there on a Monday night and complained about it. Not just me, mind you, but there were a number of neighbors there as well. We all complained. I don't know what I said particularly, but it was something along the lines of can we please just think about this a little? I get the idea, but it still doesn't make sense. Why crowd more people into an already crowded neighborhood? Others complained that he had filled in the little pond and scared away the animals. Very valid. Luckily, the builder lost, and has to stop building and assumably tear down the too close foundation he put up. He only lost by 2 votes. Out of the 5 councilmembers, 3 said ok. You people suck.
So we won a small battle. No 3 houses, but it doesn't mean he can't try for 2, or 1. He'll win eventually, you just know it. Then this past weekend there were some men walking through the backyards of everyone who backs the farm (that'd be us). Guess what? They're surveyors.
Wanna know why? The farm's for sale, and someone wants to buy it.
More condos, anyone? Huge houses on large pieces of land, anyone? The surveyors tell us that the farm is 120 acres. Hmmm.... at 1 1/2 acres a piece, if they even stick to that requirement at that time, that's 80 houses. And no farm.
Will my view go bye bye? Will they clear that land, too? I don't know. At the time we bought the house, we were told that the piece of land that borders the house is a greenway between us and the farm itself. There is the little brook back there, for real and large as life. I don't know if that's enough or not. I don't know how to find out, either, though I have tried. If they build on the farm, I will still have the trees and brook behind me. Some of the trees are hundreds of years old. I don't think I have to tell you again that the space behind the house is the only reason I liked it. The whole being surrounded by neighbors thing is definitely not part of the appeal of the place. So, it remains to be seen what happens. The surveyors who were here, for some reason, came back and marked the borders of everone's property that backs the farm (again, us--and some others). So now I know where my boundaries are. That's nice, since they did it for free, and it's normally a VERY expensive proposition. But why they did it, I don't know. Are they going to make me an offer? Cut down those trees, you may as well. I don't want to live here then.

This place sucks. Humanity, with their endless greed for land and money, sucks. If we don't slow down, it'll be too late. It may already be too late. We're crapping all over the Earth and no one's listening. Enough already, folks. Start using your brains. No farms=no food. No food=no people. No people=no reason to build houses. No houses=no money for you. Get it? Knock it the hell off.

Jocelyn

***The pictures above are all of my yard. They are heavy on Irises because I like Irises and because that's what's blooming right now. Yes, I am a gardener. I do love plants, and I realize that makes me a bit "biased" against people who chop down trees and build on farms, but that's just who I am. I garden because I feel that I need a way to feel more sane in this increasingly insane world. I garden because I am surrounded by people and I would rather not be. I love my gardens. They are my center. They are young (I only planted many of them last year), but they will grow, and they give me the patience to see that happen. This is one of the few types of work that I really feel is worthwhile and good. Go outside and work in the dirt. Believe me, you will feel like a better person for it. And there is a deep wisdom in the knowledge of how to grow plants. I can't explain it, but I think it is something we all should know. It is something that goes deeper than just existing to exist. I think knowing how to grow things would make us all understand the Earth better, and then just maybe we'd all finally slow down.