"IT TAKES A VILLAGE"

It Takes a Village is a book by then-First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton. In it, Clinton presents her vision for the children of America. She focuses on the impact individuals and groups outside the family have, for better or worse, on a child's well-being, and advocates a society which meets all of a child's needs.


Metaphourically speaking, the Linda Villa is a village, contained in the villiage that Linda, Ca, be.  With 38 families living within, containing close to 40 children, the Linda Villa is a microcosm of life in Yuba County.  A more perfect place to make change could not be found.

Since telling the whole world of plans to host a Block Party, "LINDA DRUG OUT", many readers have written telling that it is high time one stepped forward to call attention to the plight.  Mind, it is ever so kind of lovely folks to write and make this old geezer out to be special, BUT, one has to also remind that any effort to do good in Linda is COLLABOURATIVE, not just the actions of one person.  Were it not for the brilliant efforts of Supervisor Vasquez, Sheriff Durfor and Murray Kay, MOI might well be a voice of one and not a chorus.

Adults in charge of children set the stage for much of what will follow in the lives of children.  Drug use, filthy language, hurling rubbish about, benefits cheating and drink, all have marks to leave on impressionable children.  The wee ones are what will make a differnece in the years to come.  Truth be told, the adults with their child-like behaviour, have to be re-educated as well.
When the "Ice Cream Social" was held in August, to celebrate National Night Out, many of the adults in the complex did not come out.  Many had run ins with the coppers in the past.  Some were still doing wicked things and did not want the coppers to get a view of.  There were adult family members who loathe the coppers, would not call them if they were on fire and in dire need of attention. 

Many of the horrid folks who were in the complex are now gone.  It has been right expensive to rid self of bad tenants.  Just the other day, Murray and I journeyed to court to get a writ against one.  Regular clever clogs they be.  Pay no rent for months, steal electric the whole time a tenant and get nicked by the coppers for all sorts of things while living here.  Had folks very afraid of.  Chap would prowl the car park with a massive tourch, not to light way, more to show his ability to clobber with.

The nasty piece of work that is now history was not alone in living at the Linda Villa.  It was almost as if every horrid tenant possible knew one another and had come to Linda Villa to slip under the radar.  Turning on the lamps made many known for what they be.  Some got nicked by the coppers and others rode out the eviction process.  Some even did a mid-night move.  Perhaps it was the notice that Kay Properties was prepared to reward folks for telling the coppers who the bad sort be.

Gone is the not so lovely lady who 'mooned' the car park, all the while hurling filthy language.  Gone are the electric cheats.  Gone are the deadbeat tenants who felt that life owed them a free ride.  Gone is the look of neglect that make horrid folks believe that the Linda Villa was the perfect place to set up shop to perform illegal activities.

All new tenants moving into the Linda Villa are being told that they have the ability to get in on the ground floor of a wondrous thing, CIVIC PRIDE.  Be true 'urban pioneers' and show the whole of Yuba County that we be brilliant here.  Efforts are being made to let neighbours round know that they are more than welcome to join the crusade in righting the community.

My dears, there be some that think that this website does not reach the folks living at the Linda Villa.  They be wrong.  Know for a fact that many are well aware of this old geezer being on the INTERNET.  Have been told and can tell from the looks given by visitors, they are well aware of me sharing life with the whole world.  Not all that is written is appreciated, truth hurts.

All that is being done and planned for at the Linda Villa is to make it a better place to live.  To make folks living here more brilliant.  To be a part of the effort to make community lived in more brilliant.  What passed as acceptable in the past is gone.  Folks who light candles and wish for a speedy departure of this old geezer are in for a shocker.  Not bloody likely to happen any times soon.  Having stared down an evil bugger with a massive torch in car park, not likely to let the snide comments run me off.

The few tenants that remain who have no desire to become a part of the changes are invited to vote with feet.  So hard up the Linda Villa is not, it needs to beg bad tenants to linger and destroy progress.  More's the pity that some cling to belief that 'special dispensation' will be granted for massive animal populations in flat, too many vehicles or other behaviour that given a feeling of neglect to the complex.

It will take more than the denial of use of a lawn mower to kill the on-going campaign to make the Linda Villa more brilliant.  Mean spirited folks who feel put upon cause life would not grant a FREE ride.  Selling a tool to Kay Properties and then taking back due to a change in management.  The sooner that the backs of horrid folks are seen the better.  Why would any linger at a place that they had treated so poorly?  What a giggle, one of the losers made comment to new maintainance man that the grass was in need of cutting.  Mind, the grass might have been cut in past, at the expense of nothing else getting done.

Truth be told, am right excited for February 1 to arrive...