My husband and I were at a local gas station a few days ago, when we were approached by a friend who told us of this informal boycott of purchasing gasoline on May 15th to call attention to rising gas prices (well over $3.00 per gallon). I am all for it–but in a way–some of the exorbitant price is because of our driving habits i.e. our love of SUV’s and fast driving. I feel sorry for many people because it is hard to make ends meet as fuel prices keep rising. One has to cut out many things out–maybe dining out or splurging on clothing or a vacation. But let’s face it-a lot of people are contributing to the problem by driving these humongous gas guzzlers–Hummers–these big pickup trucks, etc. with only one or two people in them. Come on, I can’t believe these people have to drive these gas drainers all the time for themselves or one or two other people. We have four people left in our home of six originally, and we all get in a Toyota Corolla! Now I realize many people need the pickup trucks for their jobs but not everyone does. What in God’s name do you need a Hummer for? Outrageous!. Nevertheless, I am posting a link to this interesting website www.worldwithoutoil.org which paints a scenario of the world on the brink of fuel starved chaos.

In other news: I have not forgotten about this topic: and don’t worry, you won’t see this discussed anywhere else: The Police Commission. I am still lobbying for this in our town because I see it as a positive step- a step in the right direction–an accounting by the government to the people. The way our government was set up to run. And also, a way to protect the men and women of our police department and help bring them together with our community which I think is lacking. I will be putting my show on the Police Commission where I interviewed Hamden Police Commissioner Martin Ruff, in a few weeks on the Home Page. A few years ago, after Chief Walberg had passed away, the newly appointed Police Chief at the time, Chris Loudon, met with Michael Milone behind closed doors and made personnel changes, without the knowledge of the Police Union Representative. I remember attending that Town Council meeting shortly after that decision had been made and the Police Union representative questioning why he was not made aware of the meeting. He told me he found out about it after the Waterbury Republican had contacted him asking what he thought of the changes–which at the time he knew nothing about. The Police Commission is not perfect as I have said before–nothing is. But at least at the Police Commission meetings, the Police Chief and the Union representative are always present. They know what is going on. That is the bottom line–the Cheshire Police Department has fine officers-and they deserve the best treatment and respect but it has to work both ways. I strongly believe in government and people working together–we all deserve this and this is how our government was set up–for the people and by the people.

Today, Wednesday, May 9th was the day I was supposed to go to Canton to meet with Christine Carpenter of the Shoppes of Farmington Valley to film the entire shopping area, not just what you see on their video which I had been featuring for the past several days.

Christine was going to accompany me while I filmed with my digital or should I say, my daughter’s digital camera which she let me borrow. Now I have been taking photos with this camera and some of the videos, including the Hawley Lane traffic at Hawley Lane Mall in Trumbull which is now the featured video on the home page.  When I got home from work Tuesday night I wanted to charge up the camera so I would be set for Wednesday morning. I had to be in Canton by 10 a.m. I went up to my daughters room to get the camera and the ac adaptor. I found the camera, but I could not find the “cord” for her camera. I must have spent one half-hour pulling one cord after another out of her closet, our computer bags, my closet, my drawer, her drawer. It seems as if these days we must have every “cord” under the sun. It seems the more technologically advanced we get these days, the more “cords” and adaptors we have. Think about it: we have a cord for the cell phone, the MP3 player, the DVD player, the CD player,  the Bluetooth for the cell phone that one wears on the ear, the digital camer, the camcorder and on and on!  I finally found the right “cord” for her camera and started to charge it up. I also decided to charge my cell phone at the same time. Well about an hour elapsed, it was 12:30 in the morning and I finally decided to go to bed, thinking I had charged the camera. When I got up the next morning, I went to turn on the camera right before I was to leave for Canton and to my horror (putting in mildly) the camera would not turn on. It was not fully charged. I had no choice but to cancel until next week. I was disappointed and upset. It actually took me another two hours of charging that camera. I plugged it in at 9:10 a.m. and it was fully charged at 12:15p.m. if you can believe it! I guess we have to pay the price for convenience. So until next week, you can view my film of the Hawley Lane traffic. I am going to be putting my shows that my son Ross andI produced for the Alternative Town Government Channel within the next few weeks. So until then—-put all your “cords” in a plastic bag and make sure you charge up all those electronic devices well ahead of time.

As most of you are aware, the torrential downpours we had in April took its toll on the property where the Northend Development would be located. Several weeks ago I had a photo of the arch as it appeared 25 years ago. Thanks to Cheshire resident Bob Korten, I now have some updated photos which show some compromising to the property including a massive sinkhole that developed near the arch. This hole is approximately 25 to 30 feet deep. The photo Bob took of the arch shows the water level rising dangerously high. The arch seems to be intact, despite some rumors going around that it had collapsed. However, the high water levels of the 10 mile river are a cause for concern, especially if there will be commercial development in that area and housing. Unfortunately, if we get another soaking rain the arch could be underwater. This is something to consider if and when building does take place. Thanks again to Bob Korten for the photos.