A New Michiganer

The Thaw: Letting Go of the Past

I'm not sure which is greyer today - the lake or the sky.  Either way, the first thaw of winter has begun.  Last week the lake was a field of snow, except for the tracks that David & I made on our skis, some random snow angels and the trail of one brave (or psychotic) snowmobile - that ventured over the ice.  Today it's a mass of puddles, water from above and below merging to reclaim the lake.  The thaw has begun.  The snow is receding from my deck, and the packed tundra that used to be on the drive outside our house has reduced to a single layer of ice with a veneer of water across the surface.

It's warm outside - in the thirties and forties for the first time in weeks.  Birds are emerging from wherever they have been hiding their little red feathered heads and flitting about, tweeting. Yesterday the sun came out and it felt like rebirth.  Today a warm wind makes even this grey day pleasant.

This morning I went across the street to the garage that is housing all the contents of my former home.  Furniture, pots, pans, electronics, photographs, clothes that used to fit but don't anymore.  My past is all packed up.  I poked through the boxes, looking for random items.  It's been so long since I've been through my "stuff" - I've been too busy scuttling about in the present, it seems.

People in Michigan assure me that the thaw is probably a temporary respite.  At some point the temperature will drop again and the lake will freeze up for at least one more winter blast - and hopefully one more cross country ski trip along the shore of the lake.  I don't know if I should hope that this is the end of winter - the groundhog has spoken and its over at last.  Soon the ice huts will disappear, the docks will be rebuilt, the boats will be back on the lake and the excitement of almost-summer will be upon us.  Or if I should look forward to one more deep freeze - one more silent glide along the pristine, frozen, snow-coated lake, with no one but David and the swans in sight.  Letting go of the past is never easy - even when it's a cold one.

Detroit: The Angry City

I know - here I go, ragging once again on the place I now call home, however, this time it isn't all me!  According to a recent ranking in Men's Health magazine, Detroit is the angriest city in the entire U.S.A.

Detroit: The Angriest of All

The ranking, which considers the number of aggravated assaults per capita, the number of people with high blood pressure, the amount of time spent in traffic during rush hour, and the number of anger management specialists per capita - says Detroit wins the coveted title!

Let's look at this analytically...

Detroit - and it's suburbs - were developed by moguls from the automobile industry.  The powers that created southern Michigan decided there is to be no public transportation, except for bus systems - that are few and far between.  That accounts for the amount of time spent in traffic.  Thanks to the influence of Big Auto, there IS no alternative.  That was a planned move by the people who made cars.  They made highways - lots of them - and the speed limits are high, but there is no rail system to speak of.  And the distances are vast.  It's freezing for at least one quarter of the year (today it's minus 15 in my neck of the woods) - and there is ice on the road and throughout the suburbs.  Even the city isn't situated for walkers.  You must drive to stores, to malls, to parks.  Everything is an auto excursion.  Naturally, people gain weight.

Then the orient begins making cars, unions prevailed here in Detroit, and the auto industry went big fat belly up. People lost their jobs.  Combine the weight gain (which I call The Michigan 40) with the anxiety about losing jobs - and you get high blood pressure.  No jobs also means the crime rate goes up.  Add in the fact that it's OK to own and travel with guns in Michigan, add in the stress of the jobless factor and is it no surprise that we lead in aggravated assaults.

I believe there is a solution.  Build a rail system that goes from Detroit to its suburbs.  Bring jobs back to Detroit.  Give workers new hope.  And rebuild the surrounding towns and cities so people can easily access places without using the damn cars!  I guess I'm just one of those angry Michiginars!

Southern Michigan is a beautiful place and I'll bet Detroit could be a thriving Metropolis with lots of happy people.  All you need is a SUBWAY!