Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Neighborhood

Home is where the heart is and my heart is in Kansas.  My heart is specifically in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, where the slow buffalo roam and the skies are not cloudy all day, except of course during the times when they are cloudy.  When you are in love, imperfections are attractive, desirable, and funny.




Consider the signs for Jaketown Road.  There are only two signs and they are routinely stolen.  There are only three occupied homes the entire length of Jaketown.  I personally know one person who lives there, and I can guarantee that she is not stealing the street signs.  I could safely bet a year's salary that no one else who lives on Jaketown Road is stealing those signs, either.

I do not know who is in charge of all the road signs in Wabaunsee county.  When I first moved into the neighborhood, there were no road signs at all and I loved it.  I had to give specific instructions to people in order for them to find my house.  They had to listen closely when I was explaining or they were not able to find their way.  Of course, government regulations and 911 rules dictated that everyone must have a real address.  Then it naturally followed that every intersection in the entire county had to have street signs exactly like every other place in America.  I know it makes sense for the sheriff and the ambulance and the fire department, but it was wonderful to be able to write my address as RR#2.  No one could guess where I lived, and it seemed as if I had moved back in time.  That all changed and when it did, it meant someone was saddled with the responsibility to order hundreds of road signs and make certain they were installed to regulation.

Such effort and expense to get the street signs installed just for someone else to repeatedly steal them has to be a low blow.  I suspect the age and gender of the thieves, and I may even guess why it would be a funny sign to hang in a dorm room.  But the repeated thefts have apparently placed too much stress on the signmeister of Wabaunsee County, whoever he or she may be. 

1 comment:

Don said...

I've kind of suspected for some time that many of the ranchers and other inhabitants of Wabaunsee County sometimes wish there were no signs marking the roads and intersections as it enabled those "weekend wanders" some enhanced navigation without depending on a GPS.

What I have noticed is that several of the roadways that I once traversed are now gated and I even saw one that was posted with words indicating "by order of the County Commission". That was kind of disappointing, but then it only takes one to ruin it for everyone.

I've always had a respect for property in the Flint Hills and don't go pass "no trespassing" signs or closed gates unless I've been granted permission. There's lots to see without trespassing.

On the other hand, stopping along the roadway and talking beyond a hand shake often times has enabled my camera to go beyond that "no trespassing sign".

I wouldn't mind having a "Box Turtle Road" sign, but then I wouldn't know where the Box turtles are.