Signs and changes

On Monday, my neighbor Sally and I started out for the post office, Sam's Club, and grocery shopping. We got detoured

by signs of spring.


Construction

and detours were everywhere, forcing us to change directions.

There were changes at the PO, too. The customs forms I'm so used to, are now in triplicate

and, although I didn't take a picture of the people in line, they were going the opposite direction, instead of the way the sign showed.

My camera must have been changing, too, because of all the photos I tried to snap of the gal mailing my package, this was the best I got.

Next it was off to the seed store,

where the labels showing what seeds were in the bulk seed bins,

gave a hint that change was in the air.

I went a little crazy at the seed store,


buying herbs in bulk and snapping pictures of color, showing that the gloomy winter was soon to be only a memory.

I prefer to buy bulk, but some of the herbs were only available in packets. All their seed packets are organic.

There were also bins holding grass seed, something I don't need, since grass is the biggest water hog of all.

There was also bins of bird food,

many nearly empty, also showing change. It's now time to ween the birds off feeder food, so they can remember how to forage for it in nature.

Other sites at this colorful place reminded that it was now time to spruce up outdoor rooms

and secret garden spots.

The colorful wares inside the store

showed the way to the green house, which took visitors past the organic fertilizer.

Pets could also be treated to a change, since doggie biscuits of multiple varieties were sold in bulk.

Even Sally decided to change cat food, after finding some she had been looking for that would accommodate her older cat.

We also changed our eating style, finding a new Chinese restaurant. Sally prefers one in our neighborhood,

but really enjoyed her meal at this one in the south part of town.

Instead of going grocery shopping, Sally took a detour through Eastborough, a city within Wichita. It truly did look like a different place, where the streets were clean and pothole free, lawns were manicured, and the speed limit was 20 mph. Wichita seems to have an ongoing feud with Eastborough, trying to annex it every few years (which I suspect is partly due to Eastborough's tax and municipal court revenues), Eastborough retaliated by making it a speed trap, thus generating revenue that went directly into their city. Parks, owned and maintained by their city, not Wichita, were everywhere, as were open spaces where I can only imagine children ran and played in the summer. There was even a lake and stream, with water running by most of the houses in the little town. I got so engrossed with this place, I shot about 100 photos.

Here is a snippet from their website: Eastborough is a third class city with a City Hall, a Mayor-Council government, a Police Department, a Municipal Court and many parks.

Their history reads thus (from their web site):

"Eastborough and Woodlawn, two swank additions lying east of Wichita between Central and Kellogg will soon incorporate into a city of the third class, it was reliably reported here today." (Eagle, May 11, 1937) When the Sedgwick County commissioners approved the petition, the City of Eastborough was created.

In 1928, when Alton Smith announced "Wichita's finest residential section," the Fourth National Bank had just installed the city's first air-conditioning equipment; an airplane had just made the first night landing at Municipal Airport; and Wichita No. 1, a gusher, was brought in on the northern outskirts of Wichita.

At the time of incorporation the total Eastborough investment was listed at $2 million with the existing 48 homes valued around $1 million. There was a minimum cost of construction of $8,000; garages had to match houses; and minimum setbacks, side lines and back lines were established. The exterior architectural plan of each building had to be inspected and approved. The deeds listed all the restrictions. In 1953, Ordinance 372 stated that homes could be built no less than 1700 square feet and no less than $10,000. In 1973, the Sedgwick County deputy assessor was quoted as saying the average house was 3,020 square feet with an average cost of $42,043. At that time there were only 4 or 5 lots left.

Since 1937, Eastborough has developed into a small town covering two square miles with 21 streets. The third class city, once a long way from Wichita, is now completely surrounded by the larger first class city. There were several failing attempts to "annex" Eastborough.

No one remembers when Eastborough Estates offered Eastborough to Wichita in 1930 - Wichita wanted no part of it! And, very few remember the time in 1951 or 1952 when Pat Patterson got a Kansas City, Kansas Representative to pass a bill stating Eastborough could annex Wichita."

I thought a bit of history would help you see why discovering this city within the city I now call home, was both a surprise and enjoyment. I think you'll enjoy the next few "Silent Sundays" even more, now that you, too know the history.

The biggest change for the day was in our schedule. Instead of going grocery shopping, we went to

Krispy Kreme. Yep, it was my first time ever.

I'm not sure if they are everywhere,

but Sally told me they were a chain. I looked them up on the web and sure enough, they are located in the US and Canada.

Their store was spotless

and they showed the donuts being made.

It was like a guided tour, with each step etched into the glass partition.

Personally, I didn't care for the one I bought. I thought they were just an overpriced circle of grease.

We never did make it to the grocery store, so I had the donut for lunch on Tuesday and made plans for planting my cool weather crop, which has to get planted today, since we have both rain and snow in our forecast. My cool weather crop of choice: lettuce (5 variety mesclun mix), Italian spinach (radicchio), snow peas, sugar snap peas, onions, and potatoes.

Now go find the signs of spring in your world and make a few changes.

Today's blog belongs to the talented Ann Wood. I just stumbled onto her site and it is such fun. Her art is playful and she is enjoyable to read. She works in paper, papier mache, paint, and fabric. Her art is never 2-D. I especially liked what she said about boxes for storage. My philosophy, too. I think you'll enjoy Ann's blog. And don't forget you can see all past links by clicking on the link at the top of this page.