July 21, 2020. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Come From Away.

If you were not born in Nova Scotia, local people will say that you have "come from away", which would be absolutely true. The good folks of Liverpool do not use that as derogatory, but merely descriptive. They are welcoming and gracious. Very often, those newcomers try to tell the locals what needs to be done to make things better. If that happens, the locals will object. At the farm in Pennsylvania, we saw that happen all the time. A retired couple bought a house in Artemas. The house had been neglected but the new owners, who had moved from Baltimore, fixed it all uo both inside and out. Just down the street from them was a single wide home whose owners collected metal. The backyard was full of piles of metal, organized by type. When the new owners finally finished the work on their new home, they objected. Their new front porch overlooked an eyesore, according to them. At the next township meeting, they wanted to ban piles of junk. Someone asked them why they did not object to the pile of metal before they bought the house? After all, the locals pointed out, the piles have been there for 20 years. The motion did not pass. Our township had no zoning. An owner could built or run anything they wanted. A young couple bought a house as a country place. They worked hard and enjoyed their place on the weekends. But as they drove around, they noted small houses on small lots. So they started to lobby the local folks to address the issue of zoning. They wanted large lots so at the next meeting they proposed a zoning ordinance. The officials from Bedford county thought it was a good idea. But one old farmer asked if that would mean he could not sell a quarter acre lot to his grandchild? When he was told that was correct, no one in the room agreed and zoning has never been instituted in Mann Township. The good people in that area do not want the government to tell them what to do. Nor do the want the new folks tell them what do do. The problem is that when more and more new people move in, they can out vote the locals. Think of Austin Texas. Those come from away folks have taken over. It will be interesting next election.