Plenty of Volunteers

It was something you don't expect to happen at the annual meeting of the civic association.

Yes, it's the time of year when the association asks everyone who lives in the area to come to a meeting.  Meetings, as Sweetie says, are boring.  He won't go.

"My daddy was a Southern Baptist pastor," he will tell anyone who asks why he skips meetings like this.  "And my daddy told me that meetings are boring and that I didn't need to go to them and hear the grown people arguing like a bunch of babies!"

When you point out that he is now a grown-up and past the statute of limitations on what his daddy told him, he simply repeats, "My daddy told me I didn't need to go!"

Trust me, he was always obedient when his daddy told him something, so you aren't going to win this one, and neither am i.

So i went.  We got to hear from the assistant to the local councilman, who discussed the zoning issues and that some people might be working out of their homes.  It is legal for you to run your business out of your home as long as you do not have employees coming there, or clients, either.  If you think they are breaking that law, keep records and call the council.

Then someone discussed the roads, and we talked about how to get potholes filled.

The deputy sheriff assigned to our area talked about crime prevention.  A few people got bent out of shape about getting parking tickets, and it got a bit heated.  All of them park illegally, and don't want to get ticketed for it.  They were essentially told to pipe down and complain to the council that passed the laws that regulate parking, and get the law changed, or obey the rules.

Our state representative got up and made a very brief presentation.

The best part of the night, though, had to do with a slightly racier topic than all of the above.

The area along the highway is zoned for certain kinds of businesses, and not for others.  They have to be small and office-like, cannot violate noise ordinances, and have to have hours that don't involve them making any kind of noise that would disturb the houses right behind them.  They should be mostly 9-5 type things, with buildings that blend in to a neighborhood type setting.

One of them now has a big sign in front of it that says, "Massage Parlor."

Well.

Discussion became lively about whether or not this could be a legitimate business.

The councilman's representative came back up and said, "If all they do is give massages, such as at a day spa, it's legal.  If they are doing anything 'adult', then they are in violation of zoning because they have to be in a zone that allows for 'X' rated businesses."

One lady noted that they seem to be open at odd hours, she had driven home from her own shift work late at night and they were open and busy late into the night.

Another person noted that they don't have a real website, just one page, with prices.

Finally a civic association board member said, "Well, which of us is going to make an appointment and see for ourselves if this is a legitimate business or not!"

A female member said, "I'll pay for it, but one of you guys will have to volunteer to go and do the investigating!"

The president of the civic association said, "Just not my fiancé!"

It's not often that people laugh that hard at a civic association meeting.  And no, i didn't stay after to find out who volunteered, but there were plenty offering, and i get the feeling that place isn't going to be there long.



Today is:

Anniversary of the Elf Wars -- Fairy Calendar

Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan) begins

Errol Barrow Day -- Barbados

International Bon Jovi Day -- they released their first album this date in 1983

Lady of Altagracia Day -- Dominican Republic

National Hugging Day™ -- includes the announcements of the Most Huggable People of the Year

New England Clam Chowder Day

Quebec Flag Day -- Quebec, Canada

Squirrel Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Christy Hargrove of the Western North Carolina Nature Center

St. Agnes' Day (Patron of betrothed couples, bodily purity/chastity, crops, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins; the Colegio Capranica of Rome; Manresa, Spain; Rockville Centre, NY)

St. Meinrad of Einsiedeln's Day (Patron of hospitality; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Swabia, Germany)

"Stonewall" Jackson's Birthday Celebration -- Lexington, VA (at the Jackson home)

Traditional Day of Offering -- Bhutan (first day of 12th month of Tibetan calendar)

Vancouver International Boat Show -- Vancouver, BC, Canada (with two venues in the city, there is sure to be enough to delight even the pickiest sailors; through Sunday)

Zehnder's Snowfest, Ice Carving, and State of Michigan Snow Sculpting Competition -- Frankenmuth, MI, US (fun for the whole family; through the 26th)


Anniversary Today:

Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, 1915


Birthdays Today:

Robby Benson, 1956
Geena Davis, 1956
Billy Ocean, 1960
Jill Eikenberry, 1947
Mac Davis, 1942
Placido Domingo, 1941
Jack Nicklaus, 1940
Wolfman Jack, 1939
Benny Hill, 1925
Telly Savalas, 1924
Benny Hill, 1924
Paul Scofield, 1922
Barney Clark, 1921
Karl Wallenda, 1905
Christian Dior, 1905
Roger Nash Baldwin, 1884
John M. Browning, 1855
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824
Ethan Allen, 1738


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Kid(Film), 1921
The Daily News(first issue, edited by Charles Dickens), 1848
Power of Sympathy(publication date of WH Brown's novel, considered the first American novel), 1789


Today in History:

Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart initiate the 3rd Crusade, 1189
The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded, 1525
The first American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy," is published, 1789
After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine, 1793
Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced, 1799
The envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1853
The first US sewage disposal system that is separate from storm drains opens in Memphis, Tennessee, 1880
The first slalom ski race is run in Murren, Switzerland, 1922
The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec, 1948
A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete, 1968
The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts, 1971
Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes, 1976
Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, 1981
NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Eart, 2004
Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%, 2008