Editor,

The old adage that "a man's home is his castle" has lost its meaning over the years.

Once upon a time, when you were fortunate enough to have a home, you worked hard at keeping it up. You mowed your lawn once a week and did not ever let the grass grow so high it covered the front windows. The flower beds were cleaned out and not overgrown, the house was painted on a regular basis and the curtains hung straight in the windows. Cars were parked in the driveway or in the garage, not on the lawn. Boats, if you owned one, were kept at a marina or in a garage. There was a sense of pride on streets and in neighborhoods, a sense of family where neighbor helped neighbor and you were never afraid to extend a helping hand.

As I drive through the streets, I cannot help but notice the large number of homes that are in desperate need of repair, be it mowing the lawn, painting the house, washing the windows or eliminating the 13 vehicles parked on the lawn. What has happened to that pride in our property and, more importantly, where is the pride we have in ourselves and where we live?

I must commend the property owners in north Everett. They have done a wonderful job of repairing, remodeling and, in some cases, rebuilding the older homes in their community to make it an inviting and wonderful place to live, to buy and to visit. It is a community where you can go and have lunch or dinner at a wonderful little restaurant located right in the middle of a residential area-how terrific is that?

I am sorry to say I cannot say that for my community.

In Marysville, there is house after house on block after block in disrepair. The owners just don't care and it's a shame. Once upon a time, Marysville had some of the nicest homes in the area. Now those homes, and the neighborhoods in which they are located, stand empty and in disrepair, alone with a wonderful history to them that nobody seems to care to visit.

Those neighborhoods were once filled with the sounds of children at play, laughing and singing, neighbors visiting with each other over the fence or in their yards, people sharing with each other and helping when needed. Senior citizens could depend on someone on the block if needed, and there was always the plate of cookies for repayment.

My question is, where has all that gone and why did we let it slip away? That is what the American way of life is all about. Citizens of Marysville, take a look at your neighbors to the south and learn from what you see. Get out there and clean up your neighborhoods, meet the family across the street, help the senior citizen down the block by mowing their lawn. You will be surprised at the outcome...and you may even get a plate of cookies.

Cheryl Deckard

Marysville

blog comments powered by Disqus