First! Just kidding. This is about sprawl...

For my "losing my blogging virginity" post I want to start with..wait for it..suburban sprawl. A lot of my readers (well 1, if Elijah shows up) live in cities and may or may not know what I mean by sprawl. In the past decade or so I have watched many beautiful south Jersey farms either lose their land to eminent domain or sell out to builders. Builders who bring sprawl. Before some of you get offended this is a dumping ground for my thoughts; if you don't like it there are a gazillion ther blogs available to read. The rest who are interested please feel free to leave constructive feedback, whether in agreement or not. I do not engage in arguments for sport. There, nuff said. Back to sprawl. I commute to work along rte 322 and this has gone from many farms and fields to a McMansion domino ralley. It seriously looks like if one topples over, so go the rest. Another bizarre thing that gets me is there are probably hundreds of people in those homes that practice "green" living and recycle. Both good, but you did not recycle one of the biggest things there is. For everyone of those slap and tickle homes that was raised, an old house remained vacant. I guess this is also a sore spot for me; I live in a Victorian and she is around a 110 years old. Of course there is work that needs to be done, but she has stood for a over hundred years, so she is allowed to have flaws. These flaws are more than compensated for by the twin sets of bowed stained glass windows, oak hardwood floors, pine pocket doors, pine and oak staircase and pine columns. She is also graced by front and a side porches leading to beveled, leaded glass pine doors. Don't even get me started on the construction; her bones are very strong including floor beams in the basement that are at least 4x6 solid hewed oak beams. All of our male family members fawn over these alone (big, wood, Tim Allen grunting). Even the roof is a work of art, steeply pitched, multi-hipped, architectural shingles all topped by a cupola. A beauty surounded by cast iron fencing and even a converted gas lamp out front. To me, anyway, she is breathtaking in the snow, especially when she is dressed in her Christmas finest. Well, there are my random thoughts for now on sprawl. For everyone of the sprawl homes I see I picture an old home, that was built to last, getting plowed under. When I get my new camera I will take a picture of one of them sitting abandoned, still beautiful even in neglect. She'll fall soon and another thing of beauty will be gone from Earth forever. For all of you who have, want or support older homes, God bless. For those of you who unwittingly, or worse knowingly, puchased a slapped together sprawl home, good luck to you. My cousin suffered terribly in his, it cracked basement to roofline in multiple areas; it was truly scary and sad. As for the builders, those of you who are genuine and doing the proper thing please continue. The scam builders out there, may you end up living in one of the disasters that you created. They will not stand the test of time, let alone fire or harsh storms. Watch Holmes on Homes, he is certainly watching many of you.