The Saga of Silver Springs, Nevada
by Stephanie Wozniak
(Silver Springs, Nevada)
Nightmare or feng shui challenge? This place is sadly lacking in prosperity, overflowing with derelict trailers, ugly buildings and the general epitome of the detritus of America.
So "Why did you move there?" I have been asked more times than I can count. "Why don't you just sell your house and move?" "Where would you go?"
There are more questions than answers like why did our county commissioners cancel code enforcement in the name of budget cutting when clearly allowing folks to let their properties turn into mini garbage dump junkyards with all the tumbleweed, cheat grass and goat head that can grow in spite of the dryness...drives investors and longtime residents alike away resulting in even lower county revenues.
The prevailing negativity, the we can't, we're not, we don't, it isn't, we won't is enough to challenge even the toughest of the tough ones who are still here working on finding the path to positive change.
The sunsets are incredible, the vast starry sky at night amazing and clear, little if any snow to shovel in the winter, lovely walks and vistas to be found around Lahontan Resevoir, world-class fishing, boating, skiing and monumental beauty at near-by Lake Tahoe to the west and Pyramid Lake on the Paiute Reservation to the north. A test of the depth of our faith, hope and stamina. Lots of sunhsine, lots of wind.
Sometimes it seems so hopeless and ugly. We have a wood preserving facility here and no grocery store, bank or pharmacy. More than 50% of our population are seniors and/or veterans and way too many are let's just say down on their luck and health and then there are those who think they own the place and have some kind of right to violate every possible concept of civilized life and unslothfulness and have no problem violating my right to a decent quality of life and the better state of health that comes with an unclutered and clean environment.
Clutter is a stress factory and stress causes illness. Just like methamphetamine destroys your dental health, looking at the unsightly is no better for one's mental health. What could be worse?
What could be better is bringing our troops home from Afghanistan and doing here what we haven't been able to do there. Do for ourselves and set an example. Dismantle, recycle and rebuild a better world. Thank you.
Editors' Reply: Wow. Usually we have a lot to say back to people who write in, because we like sharing our experience. Not in your case; you're very eloquent. Thanks for the lovely piece of writing, and good luck in derelict property clean up.
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