Big excitement came into the Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood of Overlea when the popular TV show, Extreme Make Overs Home Edition roared into town rerouting traffic and creating an urban style, commercial looking building right smack in the middle of a charming neighborhood filled with early 20th century homes.
Oh, sure, it's for charity and all. I mean, who doesn't want an industrial warehouse full of troubled kids in their neighborhood? And what at-risk kid doesn't want to live in a brand new home that looks exactly like a factory? Or an old fashioned orphanage?
Strolling the old Baltimore neighborhood, I bumped into Mrs. E, out watering her roses. I asked what she thought of Extreme Home Makeovers and the new place they'd just created.
"Oh, yes, I've always wanted to live a few doors down from a youth center for kids with problems, especially behavioral or emotional problems, she chortled, obviously pleased.
"And I am so durn sick of all these cute houses around here, taking walks down a street that looks like small town America. Now, I've got that brick and what-ever-it-is thing, I feel like I'm living in old downtown, back when they used to have all those warehouses. And I love warehouses. Who doesn't?"
The other great thing about the building is that there is little to no parking, except for the driveway which has been piled high with rubbish for a month or so. The pile of trash is just the thing to attract rats and make those city girls feel like they are still at home. If home was a large rejuvenated factory made into dentists' offices.
I've always wondered about that Not In My Backyard crowd. I used to think that they were mean and selfish. Now, thanks to Extreme Make Overs - Make the Neighborhood Look Like an Industrial Park, I know just how they feel.
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