Hours of Daylight – 12:50

Sometimes even i’m surprised by my reaction to the weather. Yesterday, had a neighbor been watching, they might have thought i gone a bit wacky. No i didn’t tear off my clothes and run in the street, but i did stand out on deck like a scarecrow while drops fell from the sky. It was the first actual rain we’d received since May. Four months of dry days had finally come to a close as measureable rain fell from a brief blustery front that moved through the banana belt of Idaho.

Despite the rain the issue of infill development is once again flaring up as neighborhood groups meet with the city council to argue over issues of density and neighborhood history and the slippery concept of progress. The day before one such meeting a white-haired woman in a dark blue Honda (accord? civic?) pulled up infront of our house, produced a camera, took a picture, then sped away. No, she didn’t leave any rubber on the street, but her demeanor was obviously not friendly. I can’t help but wonder if that picture will be appearing in presentations or brochures decrying the neighborhood destruction caused by infill development.

There’s also a rumor the president of our neighborhood association, H, who holds three lots down the street from us but has been grandfathered and permitted to keep three horses, sent email to some organization (city? accessor’s office? the local paper?) expressing resentment at the increase in her property taxes. As described to me she is blaming houses like ours for the increase.

Well if the rumored email is true, it is understandable, she holds a pretty big chunk of land inside the city limits, so any increase would probably hit her harder than anybody else with a more regular quarter or half acre city lot. I can certainly understand a person be frustrated when they’re reminded that private property in this country is largely a myth. Basically Heather’s landlord has upped the rent on her. Yes, it’s tough when you’re reminded who you’re really working for. But then i’m reminded of the guy at the first neighborhood association meeting who, not knowing who we were or where we lived, freely suggested “it would be great if we could get somebody like Dave Hale to build more of those houses like the one on Bethel Street…. i mean, that was a one hundred and eighty thousand dollar house!” What did he mean by that? Well, clearly, in his view, houses like ours improve the value of land in a neighborhood. But that’s a double-edged sword. You cannot improve values of land without the actual owner of the land wanting a bigger cut. You have but to look at your property tax bill to remember you may hold the deed, but it’s really just a long-term lease in a big co-op. I’m guessing H, with the probably the biggest bill to pay, has little interest in improving land values and thus raising property taxes.