Catching up

For the next few days I will be trying to get back to normal after two weeks away from Rensselaer. I have noticed a few changes--the grass is greener, my crocuses are blooming, and I cannot find any piles of snow.

I checked out the Amtrak platform Friday evening. I thought it might be finished and it almost is. It looks like they just have a bit of railing to install.

I was surprised to see a new house going up on Susan Street to replace the burned house that was recently demolished. Apparently work started shortly after I left.

I stopped by the Big Top Flea Market on Sunday and found it was bigger than ever. I was surprised to see some child car seats there. Jasper Junction no longer sells them--a man with a badge stopped by a few months ago and told them that they could not sell car seats or cribs.

You also will not find car seats or cribs at the upcoming Birthright rummage sale (April 8 and 9) or any electrical appliances. The reason the electrical appliances will not be there is that a few years back someone bought an electric fan at a thrift store in California and the fan malfunctioned, causing property damage. The buyer sued the store and the judge in the case said that the thrift store had the obligation to make sure that electrical appliances were safe before they were sold. I wonder if the judge realized that, because people are afraid of frivolous law suits, a result of that ruling would be to have rummage sales stop selling electrical appliances. At some point the cost of trying to make life safer outweighs the benefits of the effort and in many cases we are well past that point.

And speaking of Birthright, they will be getting new neighbors on Front Street. The Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce is moving into the back of the building at 116 N Front Street. That section of the building features a wonderful office with nice windows and a fireplace. I can see why the Chamber would like it, though it might be a little hard to find if you do not know where to look.

Other things: The Lake Village Old Photo Page on Facebook has some pictures of Jenny Conrad.

I attended the SJC spring band concert on Sunday. They did a bang-up job.