Fostering the Neighborhood

We live in a wonderful location where we can walk to almost everywhere we need: the grocery store is two blocks to the east, downtown begins two blocks to the south, and so forth. And the neighborhood is pretty old by Central California standards: many of the houses date back to the 1930s. This evening we traveled next door to attend the annual meeting of the local neighborhood association. It is very wholesome in a way. Getting to know one’s neighbors is a good activity. We didn’t discuss the grand issues of our epoch, but things that matter at a local scale: which streets need stop signs or crossing warning lights, what the plans are for nearby developments, etc. Significantly, our city councilperson showed up at the meeting. She learned some things, shared some things she knew. As I often do in our town, I appreciate the accessibility of our local elected officials.