Mixed emotions...
Apr. 29th, 2008 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catherineldfThe war hits home in so many ways. We live in what is politely termed a "moderate income" multicultural neighborhood in south Minneapolis. We know many of our neighbors. For instance when the neighbor up the block gets news about one of her three sons who are all in war zones or on medical leave, she comes down to tell us about it. Our neighbor two doors down is Iraqi-American and he's losing family members every week as part of the war's "collateral damage."
Then there's the local economic impact. We went for a walk this evening when I got home from work and were appalled at how many of the houses in our neighborhood have foreclosed flyers on them. It's gotten so we can recognize them from the across the street. Finding a syringe in a pop can out by our compost last night didn't help grow the warm fuzzies much either. This neighborhood has come so far since we bought the house 8 years back and now we're seeing some of the same problems back again.
But there is one great harbinger of Spring in these parts and it's coming up this weekend. Every year, the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater puts together a big Mayday Parade and celebration, complete with giant puppets, a maypole, a pageant and a lot of great political theater. Thousands of us gather along Bloomington Avenue to watch and cheer or go to HOBT to help build the puppets or volunteer with many of the community groups that walk or table at the ritual in the park. Every year we go and watch the canoes carry the big paper mache sun across Powderhorn Lake while thousands of people dance and drum to welcome the sun back. And every year for the last 5 or 6 years, we host a Mayday brunch and have friends over before we go down to the route.
This year will be no exception, and this year, more than most, it feels like we really need the new beginning it brings. So here's to the Heart of the Beast and the Mayday Parade. Long may they bring Spring to our doorsteps. http://www.hobt.org/mayday/
Then there's the local economic impact. We went for a walk this evening when I got home from work and were appalled at how many of the houses in our neighborhood have foreclosed flyers on them. It's gotten so we can recognize them from the across the street. Finding a syringe in a pop can out by our compost last night didn't help grow the warm fuzzies much either. This neighborhood has come so far since we bought the house 8 years back and now we're seeing some of the same problems back again.
But there is one great harbinger of Spring in these parts and it's coming up this weekend. Every year, the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater puts together a big Mayday Parade and celebration, complete with giant puppets, a maypole, a pageant and a lot of great political theater. Thousands of us gather along Bloomington Avenue to watch and cheer or go to HOBT to help build the puppets or volunteer with many of the community groups that walk or table at the ritual in the park. Every year we go and watch the canoes carry the big paper mache sun across Powderhorn Lake while thousands of people dance and drum to welcome the sun back. And every year for the last 5 or 6 years, we host a Mayday brunch and have friends over before we go down to the route.
This year will be no exception, and this year, more than most, it feels like we really need the new beginning it brings. So here's to the Heart of the Beast and the Mayday Parade. Long may they bring Spring to our doorsteps. http://www.hobt.org/mayday/
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Date: 2008-04-30 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-07 03:58 am (UTC)