Comment from justjo66

Excellent

Linda, I find your story very interesting. You are obviously a very vocal person. I say that with recognition of myself (ð???) in the abundance of the use of your various great descriptive wording. Your details gave me a clear picture of your home town. My on suggestion would be that your piece was a tad long. Even though I enjoyed reading about you personally, I think since the piece was about your hometown you wandered a bit off topic.

 Comment Written 04-Aug-2018

Comment from l.raven

Excellent

HI Dos, every place in the world has some bad to it...but for the most...it sounds like a quiet farming town...and holidays light up the town...and maybe it is better the lights go down early...less crime...never say never Linda...you may get there yet...I am going to sell my house when I get back home...tired of all the problems....I love your story told sweet girl...and love this picture...friends forever...very well written you...take care...will call soon...love you lots...Uno...xxoo

 Comment Written 04-Aug-2018

Comment from nancy_e_davis

Excellent

A very well written essay about your hometown Linda.
Actually it was a lot like many small towms of that era.
I'm sure when the prison entered the scene the crime rate went up because of the riff-raff who visited the inmates.
Very interesting and a good entry for the contest. Nancy

 Comment Written 04-Aug-2018

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reply by the author on 04-Aug-2018

Thanks for reading, Nancy. And, no, the prison was far enough out of town that the riff-raff didn't bother us and the crime rate didn't rise. Linda

Comment from L E Scott

Excellent

Given that the view of "Birdland" is being given from one who did not live there, I have to question the veracity of the claim that the dads were all alcoholics and the kids were all neglected. Having grown up impoverished I know that, often, poverty is difficult to escape and usually not a result of refusal to work hard but inability to save up enough to dig your way to a better life.
A good description of a small town and how someone, even someone who was eager to leave in her youth, can get attached to it. The number of sex offenders seems high for a town with a population of 7,000. I suppose your piece is acknowledging the inconsistencies with how a small town is percieved vs. what it is actually like. I haven't reached the age where I feel nostalgic about the small town I grew up in. I'm still at the stage where I'm glad I left.

 Comment Written 04-Aug-2018

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reply by the author on 04-Aug-2018

L.E.:NO, I am not exaggerating about Birdland. Of that mile square housing area, I can only remember about 3 families who didn't fit my description. They were poor but decent. AND, I was raised by my maternal grandparents and we lived off their Social Security but our apartment was clean as were our bodies and clothes. My grandmother often stated that just because you are poor, doesn't mean you have to be dirty . . . soap is cheap. When a bar of soap was down to a small piece, she would throw it into a bucket. Once she had a bunch of them. she would melt them down and make odd looking hand soap. They lived through the great depression and knew how to survive And, there was no boozing going on there.

And, NO, this piece is not about inconsistancies . . . it is about not liking the place as I grew up in it but now, at the end of my life, I see it a bit differently.

Comment from kiwijenny

Excellent

Oh wow. This wasn't actually a brochure this writing didn't sugar coat anything...the number of pedophiles is astounding and soooo sad.
Lapeer Michigin was described so well it has left an imprint...that's great writing
God bless

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 Comment Written 04-Aug-2018

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reply by the author on 04-Aug-2018

kiwijenny: thank you for reading. I was not writing this piece for a brochure promoting it. I was telling it as I remember it. Linda