‘Argo’

Have you ever dreamed of living is Europe? Waking up every morning to the delightful European breakfast of the fresh crusty rolls, soft boiled eggs, a variety of cheese and sausage, sounds great doesn’t it? Well, I had that experience with my husband; I was “The American in Warsaw.” We had an opportunity to live in Warsaw, Poland, for my husband’s job; this was before we had children, so we took the chance and moved. My husband had worked and lived overseas previously and was excited to join his European colleagues once again. I was thrilled with the ability to tour around Poland as well as other European countries. We experienced many things, visited many places and gained a lifetime of memories all within 1 1/2 years.

As I drive around the Valley, I always notice the open land and most of the time it is zoned for commercial use or housing and quite honestly, this makes me a little angry. Do we really NEED another strip mall? Another apartment complex? More houses? I find it interesting that developers feel the NEED to continue to build more buildings, but yet there are “For Lease” signs everywhere, businesses, apartments and homes. Am I the only one who has wondered, “Why do we need more buildings?” I doubt it. I believe we need community gardens.

As I drive around the Valley, I always notice the open land and most of the time it is zoned for commercial use or housing and quite honestly, this makes me a little angry. Do we really NEED another strip mall? Another apartment complex? More houses? I find it interesting that developers feel the NEED to continue to build more buildings, but yet there are “For Lease” signs everywhere, businesses, apartments and homes. Am I the only one who has wondered, “Why do we need more buildings?” I doubt it. I believe we need community gardens.

I am very blonde, very fair skinned, blue eyes — my skin burns easily in the sun. During my entire childhood, my mother always applied sunscreen or I would wear long-sleeved shirts, hats, pants, etc., but still, sometimes burns would happen. I grew up in a small farming community where “everyone knows your name,” so I never felt any different than any of my friends. That all changed during my college years.