I spoke with one of my old neighbors tonight.  She wanted to call me when 4020 Shady Oak came down.  Her family talked her out of it, they didn’t want to ruin my weekend.  I understand both ways.

Some people do not want to tell us and others can’t wait to tell us.  We know, regardless.  We have been driving by and taking photos.

What I didn’t know is how quickly it came down.  My old neighbor informed me it was 1 1/2 hours.  Years to build, down in 1 and 1/2 hours.  Wow.

So many people have empathy for us.  I have empathy for the original owners who built the house.  I feel they were there in spirit.

I think about why I have photo’s of the house being built in the 1930’s.  I have photo’s from the 40’s and upwards.  Why?  What am I going to do with it?

Well, I am going to continue my story.

That is what I am going to do.

~Susan

July 11th, 2014. 4020 down.

~Susan

Yes, we voted yesterday.  Have to.  Need to know who will hold our future.  Since we are living in a rental home, our district changed.  Wish we could have voted in our old district, the one we were in for fifteen years.

Yes, one of the city council members that never returned my phone calls, never saw our house and voted to condem it, ran for State Representative.

When we voted, one of the election judges made the comment that only a hundred or so people voted in this area, how sad is that?

Folks, wake up.  If they can “take” my house, they can “take” yours.  Seriously, does anyone care?  You will, if it happens to you.

~Susan

It is amazing how many people we have either run into or have called us to inform us our house is gone.  We know.  We have been watching everything come down and taking photos.  We appreciate the empathy.

~Susan

My husband and I like to dance.  At 4020 we would dance in our living/dining room on the beautiful 1938 oak floor.  It was a great space and many a friend would dance in that area.

Salsa, ballroom, you name it. When we hosted exchange students, we would move the furniture and dining room table to open it up even more.  And they danced.  A lot of people danced in that space.  So many songs, so many people.  So much fun.

We have no where to dance at our rental.  Different space.

We have company coming this weekend.  A great group that has danced at 4020.  Probably will not dance this weekend, even though we will play the same songs.

One of my favorite old songs is “Those were the days, my friend” by Mary Hopkin.  My Father bought me her album in 1973, I actually still have the album.  I also have it on my I Phone.  Danced many times to that song at 4020.

Along with Paul Potts version of “Time to say goodbye”.

Wow, I still really miss that house.

Hard to believe it’s really gone.

~Susan

4020 Shady Oak Road came down last Friday.  July 11, 2014.

Not sure how I feel.  Didn’t cry.  Numb.  That part is done, do not need to drive by anymore.  It was the last house down.  I feel that gave some respect to the house that was built in 1938 to be the last one standing.

We have watched all of the houses and trees come down and took photos of the process.  It was pretty gut rentching to see the trees come down and the house still standing.

Once all of the other homes and business properties that were acquired came down, along with the trees, you could see 4020 from before the duck pond on Shady Oak Road.  You could see the addition and how big the house actually was.  Now that it is down, you can see what a beautiful view we had.  It was our little secret and sanctuary.

We have now been in our rental home for ten months. House just came down and we are no where near a settlement.  How many years of our life will this process take?  We are now over nine years since we found out that we would be loosing our home.

Something needs to change.  I can only hope we are a part of that change.

I think of those that were elderly.  I have already written about the stories I have read on how this process is not kind to most.  I really thought I could do this on my own and that the powers to be would be “fair” and we could compromise.  But, why should we compromise?  We already lost.

That is why I continue our story.

~Susan

Things are starting to bloom at our rental home.  Peonies are almost open, Irises are next.  Hosta’s look great and even the raspberries we replanted are taking shape.

Yes, we did save a lot of plants from 4020.  They would have been bull dozed as I have previously written about.  The backyard at 4020 is back to dirt, just like it was after we remodeled.  It makes me sad all of the time and work it was and now it is gone.  However, it is nice to see everything look so nice here at our rental home.

On Saturday, my husband, cleaned out the hot tub that our landlords have here and got it in working order.  He spent all day cleaning it and getting it ready to go.

On Sunday we put down a deck under the porch where it was all dirt.  It looks really nice. I finished up planting my garden, adding popcorn, yellow squash, and mixed greens to our tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce and herbs. Not as much as I usually have, but enough for this year.

There are three houses left to come down on the project.  4020 is one that is still left.  I know the house has been gutted as much as it can be and our landscaping has all been dug up.  It will be better when it is done and over.  I won’t drive by it anymore once it is gone.

When I drove home on Friday, I saw a women taking photos of one of the homes.  She had a younger child with her, maybe around ten years old.  Too much traffic to stop.  Should of, would like her story also.  Guess I am not the only one that continues to drive by.  She was the second person I have seen taking photo’s of the demolished homes.

Everyone has a story.

~Susan

One of my appointments yesterday was with a couple I have have known for many years.  It had been a long time, many years since we reviewed their policies.

Over time, I have got to know them.  They were people I could tell about our situation.

We know each other well enough.  Know their parents.  Interesting that the man in the appointment, remembers his parents losing their home when he was a child for a road project.

It was a Victorian home (our first home was a Victorian – built in the late 1800’s), they couldn’t take anything because they were paid for the “whole house”.  Yet he remembered driving by and people had gone in and took doors, woodwork etc.

In the end the fire department burned the house for training.

Okay, that was my clients story.  Given his age and knowing of the road project he was probably my kid’s age when it happened.  That is when I “got it”.

“It”, meaning Eminent Domain, is never is gone.  You may win, you may loose, you may be indifferent, it will never leave you.

So, I get it. Eminent Domain will always be with me, with us.

It is was it is.

~Susan

Well, the project is underway.  Wow.  After all of these years it is really starting.  Hard to believe, even though we have been gone from 4020 for eight months and living in a rental home.

Both my husband and I go a little bit out of way to work to drive by.  Four houses have been demolished this week and a lot of trees have come down.

Today on my way to work, I drove by and saw a man at one of the houses taking photo’s.  I wish I would have had time to stop and talk to him.  My best guess is that he was taking the last photo’s of his parents home.  But, I had to get to work.  Wish I knew his story.  Wish I knew how everyone else felt.

I reflect on when we first found out.  Our youngest was one month old (he is now nine) and we had just finished up our remodel.  Our backyard was dirt and had not been landscaped.  That was in March of 2005.  The powers to be told us not to worry, finish up our project, anyway it turned out we would be fine.  That is what they told us.  We were told we would be fine.

Back then, I guess I thought “fine” meant “good”, or “fair”.  Not so.  “Fine” is a word I do not use much anymore.  Fine is not good, it is less than good.  It is less than fair.

I remember contacting our city council members, people I was never concerned or connected with.  We were not involved with local politics.  Since that day, we make sure we vote at every election, no matter how minor.  I have to think we do make a difference when we vote.

I think back and wonder if I did enough.  Our City Council Representative, who by the way, was the only one to vote against the project, went with me to get signatures for a petition.  I remember my feet hurt, I was nursing and had a baby at home.  I didn’t make it very far.  Would it have mattered?  I really do not think so.

I also know which Council Members did not have time to call me back.  Yes, that is why it is important to vote at every level.  You never know if something will affect you.  We had no idea and put a lot of money into a house that soon will be demolished.  Crazy.

We have been getting a lot of phone calls from friends and people we know.  They have been by 4020 and are checking in on us.  Yes, we know what is going on.  We are okay. Sometimes I think others are more sad than we are.  We are okay because it has now been nine years and at some point, you just go numb.

Yes, we are fine.

~Susan