By Staff
My backyard deck is filled with acorns from the most glorious Oak tree in the world.
As I sit in the evenings under that Oak tree with a cold beverage, the experience is becoming more and more like having little bombs dropped on me from overhead.
Stepping on them and hearing the crunch as I make my way to and from my patio chair reminds me of the saying, "Be careful for what you wish, for you may surely get it."
I've been eagerly awaiting fall and its cooler temperatures. Fall is such a wonderful time, filled with football, pots of slow-simmered soup and turning leaves. But it seems to be the shortest of the seasons. Unfortunately, winter follows it.
I haven't heard any predictions for how cold it's supposed to be here or how much snow we're expecting, but having such a hot, dry summer frightens me about what lies ahead for us this winter.
I keep reminding myself that the wonder of our springs, summers and falls more than make up for the agony of winter, but every year I'm harder to convince.
We're Michiganders. More, we're Nilesites. We can take it. Come on, winter.
Give us your best shot!
Some exciting developments are happening in the Niles business community by way of new opportunities for consumers and job seekers here.
Most of you are aware by now that Rural King is opening in Niles in the former Kmart location. Officials there are hiring now and hope to have the store up and running by Oct. 1. It specializes in products for home and garden, including home interiors and the like.
In addition, at a Chamber board meeting this week, Chamber President Ron Sather announced news of several other businesses who are looking to set up shop here.
One is Wings, Etc. That's particularly good news for me because I love Wings' wings and travel as often as I can to Indiana to its restaurants there. Apparently, Wings is working to open a restaurant in Niles in Bell Plaza, across from Shelton's Farm Market.
Wings' owner I'm told either lives in Niles or has some strong Niles connections and many have hoped for a long time he'd open a restaurant here.
I know it will be among his most successful.
Next, Sather said Bruno's Pizza, with several locations in South Bend, Ind., is opening a restaurant here somewhere in the vicinity of the new Lighthouse shopping strip across from Rural King and Campbell Ford. I hear Bruno's Pizza is extremely popular.
Lastly, Sather said Comfort Inn is working to secure property in Niles to build a hotel somewhere on South 11th Street.
All very welcome news here.
An update from down South: As those of you may recall from a couple of weeks ago, my brother and two sisters live in Baton Rouge, La., whose population has grown exponentially in recent weeks because of evacuees from the hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The worst effect they tell me is traffic. The existing infrastructure simply wasn't designed to handle the daily traffic it's getting now.
I spend about a week every year in Baton Rouge and the traffic there on a good day, in my opinion, is horrific. I can't imagine adding more cars on its roadways. I understand 20 minute drives to work or the grocery store now take an hour or more.
And, my baby sister tells me there's a run on toilet paper. She said few stores have it, and those who do are price gouging. Go figure.
A friend of my brother has had a house for sale in Baton Rouge for many months, and was able to sell it basically overnight after the storm. Office space and apartments are in short supply. Good, I guess for Baton Rouge, but very bad for New Orleans and its surrounding area.
Keep the Gulf Coast in your prayers.
Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication. Comments? jan.griffey@leaderpub.com.