Going Home

The monsters again

Robert is a U.S. Army veteran who wears his battle scars mostly on the inside.

People in the old neighborhood say he served in Vietnam, but he looks too young for that. He probably fought in George Bush Sr.’s war, helped chase Iraq’s vaunted Republican Guard out of Kuwait.

One thing is certain: Whatever war Robert fought in took its toll on him.

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Preparing for this Saturday's park cleanup

Four members of the Happy family, Imogene and I met in the park Tuesday to check out exactly what needs to be done this Saturday.

The park is in pretty good shape, overall. The swings are up and in working order, the rest of the equipment still has a good coat of paint, there is a new net on the basketball rim (not sure who did that, but thanks whoever you are!), and the grass has been cut.

There is definitely still work to be done on Saturday, though, so make sure to come out and pitch in!

This Saturday, May 17, we will be working on projects from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then we’ll be enjoying an afternoon in the park with a BYOP (Bring Your Own Picnic) lunch, kite-flying and softball.

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Things that make you go hmmmmm

What’s Matty Moroun doing on Dobel?

Director Delbert Brown appeared in front of Detroit City Council last Wednesday and claimed very little is going on at Coleman A. Young International Airport (City Airport) right now.

According to Brown, high fuel costs are killing airlines across the country. As a result, his operation is not currently looking for a commercial airline for City Airport. They’re simply cleaning up the terminal in hopes of attracting more private planes, and council seemed less than impressed with the revenue potential for that plan.

Still, the airport continues to buy up houses in the area and has upped the payment for said houses. A good source told me the other day that some properties have recently sold for more than $130,000, even though Sunday’s real-estate section had most homes in Detroit listed at under $30,000. Hmmm.

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Good answer?

Jonathan Morgan and I found ourselves on the other side of the microphone this afternoon when a film crew from the “Columbia Journalism Review” interviewed us about “Going Home” and our hands-on work around McNichols and Van Dyke.

I must admit, being interviewed is one of my least favorite things in the world. For the most part, I’m an introvert and very shy. Those of you who had to suffer through my speech at the Holy Name reunion dinner saw firsthand how much I struggle in the spotlight.

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Jon Stewart lampoons Kwame Kilpatrick

Leave it to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” to put Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s antics into perspective.

This would be hilarious if it were about another city’s mayor and not ours.

Click here to watch the video.

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Gone fishin'

For the past several weeks, there has been a lot of talk about fishing in my close circle of family and friends.

It started shortly before the Holy Name Neighborhood Reunion. The running joke among some of the reunion committee members was that after the event ended, it was time to pull a Simon Peter, who during a weak moment after Jesus’ death talked about leaving his apostle gig to go back to sea and his simple life as a fisherman.

Hey, we were tired. The lead up to the reunion was pretty grueling, especially when one considers that the reunion planning was done in our “spare time.”

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Kite update, and we're gearing up for May 17

After seeing Imogene’s husband become Pastor Johnson (congratulations Pastor Johnson and everyone else who was ordained on Sunday!), I drove down Dobel Street to check on the wayward kite.

The kite is still okay…

It is pretty high up, but the kite is still in one piece, hanging over Jimmy’s old house. I have no idea if we’re going to be able to get it down. Maybe if Jimmy climbs onto his old roof he’ll be able to jump over onto the tree that is holding the kite, then shimmy out on the branch and free it. He should probably wear a football helmet or something, and we can all hold a sheet taut beneath him to catch him if he falls… Honest. We’ll catch you Jimmy.

We also had our Friends of Fletcher Field meeting tonight at Happy’s mom’s house. The park cleanup is set for May 17. Cleanup will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then we’ll be picnicking and playing in the park. There’s a rumor there might even be a bocce ball set there.

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May 17 cleanup

I know this is last minute, but we’re meeting tonight, 7 p.m., at my parents’ house in Roseville to discuss the May 17 cleanup at Fletcher Field.

If you’d like to get involved in the planning process and can attend tonight, shoot me off an email ASAP mjhappyii@hotmail.com.