Well, I've been thinking about that canal project they're putting in on East Moxee Avenue—four thousand feet of it, they say, turning that old earthen canal into a shiny new pipeline. I remember when the canals weren't just for irrigation, they were like the town's veins, where kids would skip stones and old Mr. Henderson would sit and watch the water flow, just like he did when he was a boy. Now they're going to cover it up with pipes and backfill, and I don't know if you've noticed, but the way they're doing these projects these days, it's like they don't even bother to ask us, just send us a form to fill out and hope we don't notice the changes.
And another thing, I saw that new sign on Nob Hill last week—'Nob Hill Boulevard, 50 mph'—but they never put up the sign for the new traffic closures, and I was driving down there the other day and nearly ran over a worker because I didn't see the cones. It's the same thing that happened with the Adams Street closures, remember? We used to know who was going to be out there fixing things, now it's just a mystery. I don't know how they expect people to navigate these streets when they don't even put up signs. And don't get me started on the fact that they're still using the same old irrigation district from when I was a kid, but now it's all about pipelines and not about the community. They're making it all so complicated, and I just want to know, where did the simplicity go?
I also heard that the dairy output is up, but I'm not sure how that's supposed to make me feel. The peanut prices are down, but I think I remember when you could get a whole bag of peanuts for a penny, and you'd just sit on the porch and eat them while watching the sun set. Now it's all about numbers and regulations, and I don't know if it's for the better. I just want to see the old canals and the old ways of doing things. That's all for this week. You know where to find me.