Lifestyle changes accented in east Morris

We are seeing a concentration of what I would call "efficiency living" in a section of east Morris. This is the section that includes the old school property. It took a while for things to sprout there. But sprout they most certainly have. The complexes there look impressive and we wonder if another one or two might be built on the remaining parcel.
The old school itself was on the higher land. It's hard to imagine now that it was ever there, isn't it? Someday a great many people will have to be reminded of the school history there. It's interesting how the school once saw fit to completely abandon that place for school purposes. Doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it.
We'll need reminding of the immense history of the spectacle of football games at the field that came to be known as Coombe Field. The ranks of people who can remember having "Mr. Coombe" as their teacher are thinning. I'm one of them. We remember how this pleasant person liked referring to himself in the third person.
Not only did the big school complex define that part of town, we must remember that East 7th Street was once the main entry to town from the east. So, things have really changed.
We see townhomes and small duplexes in that part of town now. The general area seems like an example of how our basic lifestyle is changing. I would suggest we're moving away from the ideal of the single family home, an ideal that the great World War II generation embraced. That generation also celebrated the automobile, that great symbol of independence and freedom.
People once sought the good life by acquiring lots of "stuff." So you'd live in a single family home with a basement and a garage and maybe a storage shed. Lots of "stuff" to show you had gotten established well in the world. Nothing wrong with that by the standards of the time. Today the values seem different. It is not essential to have so much stuff. It is common to hear people say they are simply trying to get rid of stuff.
People find happiness in a far more compact living situation. OK, so "why?"
Maybe it's because we have conquered boredom so convincingly. The tech and digital breakthroughs have been enormous, creating a whole new approach to life that we have come to take for granted. Maybe you'd have to be my age - 64 - to realize the scope of it all. By conquering boredom, I think we find it far more satisfying to live in a confined space. Having a large piece of property does not equate with status anymore. Perhaps a better way to put it, is that it's not tied to self-esteem so much.
The entertainment at our fingertips is endless. We can learn and be entertained from anyplace, anytime.
I would suggest we need to take a fresh look at the sports activities we so strongly thrust at our kids. Is it really an essential rite of passage, for boys to put on "jock straps" etc.? I would suggest that these programs were developed long ago as a means of keeping kids from getting bored. Getting bored as we all know can lead to kids getting in trouble. But boredom is impossible to feel these days.
Incredibly we have come to hear about the opposite problem: distractions. Yes, distracted driving which many now find is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Remember that there was a time when your task when driving was to focus on properly driving your car. Maybe you'd have AM radio on. Or hey, maybe FM! Funky, right? Now it seems quaint.
The phenomenon of distractions has become no laughing matter. People are more likely to get hurt by foul balls at baseball games because they're looking down at their phones.
If you had shared a prediction of this new age with the World War II generation when they were in their prime, they wouldn't believe it. We often cite the Great Depression along with WWII. The people who survived that tremendous adversity came away with very distinctive traits. They allowed their own children to run wild, fall into vices etc. The children did not even seem to appreciate the fruits of all the affluence their parents had come to enjoy. The parents created the great American middle class. The families populated endless residential blocks in America in the single family homes.
The apartment complexes as we see on our old school property would seem so much more efficient and practical. Townhomes have no basements, right? Why should we need a basement? Those tidy duplexes seem practical also. More people can inhabit a limited space, all of them to enjoy the convenience of being close to where essential needs can be met.
Try to put aside the personal automobile. We hear often today about how cities should be designed for a less automobile-dependent culture. Drive through the Twin Cities at 5 or 6 p.m. on a weekday and you'll say "amen." We hear a lot about our aging population. It's mighty practical to design systems for living that do not require motorized transportation.
The wonderful WWII generation would have a hard time grasping these new priorities. Again I'll quote the Billy Beane character from "Moneyball": "Adapt or die."
 
Some unfortunate blight
There are two new apartment buildings side by side along Iowa Avenue in Morris. They may be new but they are a problem. The building on the south side is a major problem and I'd sure like to know the story with that. Go over there and look for yourself: the land around the building is overgrown and an atrocious mess. It's an embarrassment because Iowa Avenue is a common entry point to Morris and to UMM. Tall weeds are right up against the building, there is standing water, some junk like a wooden pallet, and I've even seen trash like discarded pop containers.
I have shared my concern with the city. The buildings themselves don't look very high-class. I'd prefer just looking at open land there. People in townhomes are across the street. I wonder what they think. The townhome development looks very clean and classy. Certainly the development on the old school property is clean and classy. The duplex houses show some wear and tear but not to the point where it's an issue.
All in all, this part of town has become fascinating for what it represents in our new lifestyle in America. More people can live in smaller spaces and do so with great efficiency and no loss in quality of life. We can put aside the hassles that can crop up with maintaining a single family home. I'm hanging in there "the old way" as best I can.
The old residential core areas of Morris increasingly look worn down or even dilapidated, not that people can't be happy continuing to live there. Don't ever forget there was a precious school complex occupying the elevated spot next to Seventh Street! Don't ever forget the "Pylin" drive-in restaurant!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com