Posted by:
nomonomo
(
)
Date: June 09, 2018 01:59PM
One of my daughters just spent her freshman year at the U. of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Since kids flourish or flounder their first semester away, she was only 17, and most importantly because Mrs. nomonomo had passed away less than a week before she moved into the dorm, I visit her at least once a week (and given the last reason, the visits are good for me too).
Anyway, if I go down on a Friday I tend to go early to avoid the nightmarish traffic between DC and Fredericksburg, and have found a number of places where I can camp out with my laptop and work while I'm waiting to meet her later. In fact, the visits were 2 and 3 times a week initially (before her grandparents departed for their home overseas), and slowly tapered off to once a week by Thanksgiving.
All of the above to say that I've gotten to know Fredericksburg pretty well.
I've noticed the mishies out and about a number of times, but almost always in or near a pretty cruddy townhouse community that's about a mile from a location of TSCC. On multiple occasions I've seen them leaning against big green utility boxes at the edge of the property, clearly waiting for people. These boxes:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.3152758,-77.5000526,3a,75y,316.14h,97.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZoSWvEDtYt2BcfEEdOERhg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656Based on the dates, those pictures are nearly three years old. If you spin the view around 180 degrees you'll see a re-routing of the road under construction. That road is complete now, as is lots of other construction in the area, and the townhouses have gone decidedly downhill. The property is littered with trash, and children not much older than toddlers literally play in the parking lot, unattended. It's depressing. I don't mean to beat up on the residents, but the place is in a state of squalor.
And that's where I see the mishies out and about. One time, I was pretty early, and as I drove past I noticed them perk up, and start walking, so I pulled into a minimart at the far end of the property. Sure enough, two guys on scooters had just pulled in and were parking.
The mishies ambled over to meet them, and after some dramatic handshakes they all started migrating towards the units. The guys went into one, and the mishies waited outside. One guy came in and out a few times. Finally, the entourage started down the sidewalk together. When they reached the end of the row, and turned the corner towards the rows farther in, they went out of sight, so I pulled out and drove away, but it seemed like the first couple victims were probably leading them on to some other victims.
Later, when I headed back to pick my daughter up on campus, on a whim I pulled into the neighborhood and drove through it. I felt very conspicuous, and clearly didn't belong. People sitting on stoops, or in chairs out front, or leaning on cars, etc, were all staring at me. TBH, it made me a little uncomfortable.
Anyway, that's where the mishies are working. I'd like to think maybe the TSCC is offering some practical help to those folks, but I doubt it. At least not without strings attached.