Carol Kroll

I don’t get it…

So as many of you know, I live out in the country, 30 miles away from Sushi and reside in a relatively crime free and safe town. Lately I have been walking my dog between 7,000 and 10,000 steps everyday in the morning and we walk up to our local park (which by the way is 4,000 steps from my home one way) This park has it all. A pool, a ball diamond, a kick ass’d jungle gym thing with bridges and ship’s wheels. Everything.

And then there is a public bathroom off the parking lot of this park. They also have one IN the park, but they don’t allow dogs in the park. So I of course respect the rules and dont go in the park proper, we just walk the outskirts of it, peering in. I feel bad for Lu because she is always looking in the park, and looks like she wants to go in there, or maybe that is my personification , and she is just as happy smelling unidentifiable odors she finds on the sidewalk in front of her.

I digress. Getting back to the public bathrooms, there used to be an outside water fountain for all to enjoy off the wall of the bathrooms. Also included was a faucet for people to fill up bowls for their pets (Im assuming) or wash their feet after their long journey across the desert, or fish they caught in the river. I dont know, but it was nice it was there. Now it is gone.

What?

Why?

Why did they do that? And the bathrooms are now locked no matter what time I walk up there. Its summer (still if only for a little while longer) so why aren’t the bathrooms open for the public? I just don’t understand. OK, MAYBE there was, or they ARE anticipating vandalism, but I know lots of public parks in our state and cities that leave their bathrooms open. All year round in fact. No preemptive bathroom or water fountain strikes. What gives? We have a nice community. I cant imagine too many horrible things taking place there. Perhaps I’m just naive.

It makes me grouchy. Sometimes I have to “go” and always hope that my sweating and walking will stave off the urge to pee. Usually it does, but still, it would be nice to have some insurance. Plus I have started bringing water with me, for Lu because (a) she is black and gets extra hot in the sunshine (b) she can’t sweat. God played a cruel joke on man’s best friend. Sorry Lu Lu. Sweating isn’t all its cracked up to be either.

It’s just crummy. Open the damn bathrooms please if you can’t at least hook up the bubbler. What exactly DO my high taxes pay for around here???