my neighborhood

Yesterday I found out that my neighbor across the street is moving. When he explained why, I understood. John works out of the city a lot of the time, so he was surprised to get a call at work a few weeks back from the manager at the Superstore wholesale place over on 99th Street, asking him to come and remove his trailor camper from the parking lot. John knew nothing of it! He found out that some yahoo's had hitched up his trailer from his back yard and taken it for a joy ride! Soon after that incident, his garage door was spray painted. All this, after having his truck broken into twice over the past 2 years.
We've had our cars broken into as well, with small items stolen, but nothing too serious. Plus the fact that my bike was stolen out of our back yard, all added up for my neighbor and his decision to move to Stettler. It's a good move for him. He's a single guy who likes the rural areas and he'll make over a $100,000 on the sale of his house, above and beyond what he's paid for a newer, bigger place in Stettler. I can't blame him, but I'm sad he's leaving. And I'm saddened by what is happening to my neighborhood.

Reality is, that there are a few 'party' houses right along my street. One is filled with youth all the time; yesterday in the afternoon there were 6 of them sitting outside drinking a bottle of JD's. There are a couple of others that probably are not really party houses, but let's just say that the people living there keep really wierd hours and there are small kids running about way too late at night.

All this, is, I suppose, part of the blessings of the economic boom and growth in Edmonton. I guess we're becoming more and more of a 'big city' and having to deal with all the problems associated with it.

Lots of bikes are stolen, cars broken into and stolen, houses robbed, all over the city, so for the most part I haven't really thought things were all that bad. The reality is that they probably are not all that bad.

It's just sobering to have your neighbor and friend leave the city because of this kind of stuff.