This is a message to my neighbors in and around Onamia. You know who you are. I hope you're reading this.
I live on a private road. Unless you have business down here, please respect my privacy and stay away.
You want to go for a walk?
You feel like jogging?
Don't come here. There's all sorts of alternatives. The Soo Line. Kathio Park. The new track at the high school. Larry Milton Road. Highway 169... All sorts of places to run.
Wanna borrow a cup of sugar? Don't come here. I'm out of sweetness.
You want to get yelled at? You want confrontation? Sure, come down my road. You'll meet me. It won't be pleasant. I assure you.
Does it offend you when I tell your kid to find someplace else to deal his drugs late at night? Then keep him away.
Does it bother you when I ask you to not run towards my house from the direction of the Academy? Then run the other way.
Do I offend you simply because I don't want you or your "wonderful" kids in my life and have made no bones about it?
Of course I do. I'm Hannabelle. I offend everyone.
And if it keeps you away from here, I'm more than happy to offend you.
You put 94 sex offenders down the street.
I have to live with that.
And now you have to live with my reaction to people - strangers - "going for a walk" or "just jogging" down my private dead end road.
I suggest you keep your distance. I'm not very friendly anymore.
Of course, nobody can stop you if, out of all the miles and miles of roads you just HAVE to come down this particular quarter mile. After all.... it's a free country. Right?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah. Right. Just keep telling yourself that.
8 comments:
I know a good psychiatrist that you should meet! Of course he doesn't live on an deserted island that you should be living on, as you don't like incident people anymore.
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for your comment. That's very sweet of you demonstrate your Cornerstone Values by recommending your personal psychiatrist, but alas - you failed to provide his name and number. After three years of dealing with assholes, maybe I need a kind ear and some friendly advice. Dealing with idiots IS driving me crazy. Especially the nasty ones.
The deserted island sounds appealing. You know, it used to be sort of like an deserted island here - private, secure, peaceful... Not anymore though.
Forgive my ignorance, but would you mind writing back to me and explaining what you meant by "incident people"? I'm unfamiliar with that term.
Thanks again for your kindness towards me, for offering me use of your psychiatrist, and for your astute understanding of why I don't like people anymore - incident ones as well as nasty jerks who continue to harass me without mercy.
Hannabelle
Hannabelle,
I'm so sad that everything that has happened to you has caused you to be so bitter about visitors in your vicinity. Don't let life (or the juvenile center) get you down. If you do, they win. Keep your head held high, take life with a grain of salt. It truly doesn't take long to live a lifetime. Make the best of it. Out of state, we are grateful for your blogging and keeping us up to date on things going on around you. You are an eloquent writer. I hope you will continue to write and use your talents for some positive experiences that bring you peace. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
I'll help with directions to that deserted island since you are so miserable living here. The private road you speak of is, in fact, a township road. Which is not maintained by you. Anyone has the right to use this public road regardless of how you feel about it. Why don't you try to be friendly instead of a cranky, miserable old lady.
Dear Out-of-State Anonymous,
I'm so sad for everything that has happened to me too. I am not by nature a bitter person. But after three years of torture..... well...
I appreciate your encouraging words. I plan to continue my writing, but my blogging days will soon be over. The Bradbury Buzzz will soon disappear as will it's author. Poof! But I'm really glad to hear that I could help someone, even if I couldn't help my own town. Lord knows I tried.
Thanks,
Hannabelle
Dear Mean Anonymous,
You are absolutely correct. It is a township road. Since you know that, you probably know that there is a property at the end of the road which is nearly always unoccupied. For 32 years I've watched over that farm, deterring many potential vandals, possible thieves, and "wonderful" kids looking for a place to party (drink, smoke, do drugs, etc.). No, please, don't commend me for my good service. I was glad to help. After all, what are neighbors for?
I got a little miffed when I saw a gang of teenage boys headed to my mom's house. How was I to know they weren't escaped sex offenders from the Mille Lacs Academy right down the street?
Since it is a dead end road, there is no reason for anyone to be here except for the people who live here. It ain't a thru street. Since I've been so public about wishing to be left alone, you'd think that people would try to be a little sensitive, a tad respectful, and not bait me. But no. I have reasons to have hard feelings towards certain people. Not everyone shares my good neighbor values...
Thanks for the offer of help with directions to that deserted island, although you didn't actually give them to me, did you? But no matter. I have found my own. Yes. For the past three years I have been extremely miserable living here. I intend to be very friendly in my new neighborhood - You'll be happy to know that you Nexusians have run me out of town. Since the people who turned me into a cranky, miserable old lady are not coming with me but are staying here with you, you better watch your back. Someday you could find yourself in my shoes. Therefore - I wish you luck.
Hannabelle
Times change, for better and sometimes worse, it's part of the life experience/process, but that's not up to us to always decide. Have you been neighborly & kind over the years to people that live near you? Like brotherhood? You've chosen to pick a battle without considering the cost. Life is what we make it. No matter the issue. It is much easier to make friends than enemies. You cannot control everything in life.
Dear "Neighborly" Anonymous,
You can certainly try to turn the issue of a government annexing land from another township, changing laws in order to remove citizens' rights, conspiring with a corporation for financial rewards while putting 94 sex offenders next to day care - yes - you can try to turn this into "what kind of neighbor has Hannabelle been? Perhaps she deserves what she gets". But if you try to justify what happened to me, your myopic rationalization is just too too convoluted to be taken seriously.
If you are saying that had I been friendlier, perhaps more popular, that the Onamia city council would not have partnered with Nexus to target my neighborhood - well, that's just unrealistic. You haven't been paying attention. There was a whole lot of cronyism going on, for sure. But when it comes to money (and law suits), one quickly learns who one's friends truly are - and are not.
Here I must be harsh. You are wrong to say that I chose to "pick a battle". My home was "attacked" by an invading, non-representative "foreign" government - one I cannot vote for or run against for public office. Using only WORDS, I defended myself, my home, and my family against ruthless people who don't abide by the rules. This should disturb you, especially if you live in the area. You are correct that "Times change", but city ordinances should not change to benefit a single commercial business - except - oops - they changed the ordinance that said that. Now you too can have your very own sex offender institution (or hog farm, slaughterhouse, or industrial park) in your own back yard, whenever the mayor capriciously decides he likes the view from your window.
Although I considered the cost, I had no idea that the cost of protecting my neighborhood from a conspiracy between the government and the corporation would be EVERYTHING - including my First Amendment Rights. I'll give you that point. I did not anticipate my role as community scapegoat. I did not expect to be thrown to the lions by old friends and neighbors. But to condescend that somehow I chose this battle, or that I somehow brought it upon myself.... that makes me sad to hear you say. Don't you "get" it?This battle was about YOUR rights, as well as my own. I fought for YOU, as well as myself. Your complacency is why people like me have to stand up on your behalf, and stand up alone. Too bad you didn't see fit to help me, instead of just hanging back and judging me for failing. At least I tried to do the right thing. Your lack of support on this important principle has contributed to a huge step backwards in the democratic process.
Your statement, "You cannot control everything in life" is what we used to call - back in the sixties - a cop-out.
If anyone is to be judged for their "good neighborship", or lack thereof, perhaps its my neighbors who stood back and watched as the Nexus/Onamia steamroller squashed me flat, destroyed my life, without so much as raising an eyebrow or lending a helping hand. Thank you for making it so much easier to leave Onamia.
Hannabelle
Post a Comment