Since my forced removal from the Presidency of North Shore a little while ago I have removed myself from active participation from seven other committees or city task force committees so that I can concentrate on my new mission in life ---- North Shore. (Those seven are, for those who want to know: Permitting Task Force (city), Historic Preservation Task Force (city), CONA Vision Committee, North Shore City Team meetings, Fourth Street Beautification Committee (I turned over the full chair to Susan Nice), North Shore NDR Committee (I turned that committee over to the leadership of Lane Lastinger), St. Petersburg Heritage Trust (this is a local preservation group that I am a board member on) and last but not least the North Shore Landscaping Committee of which I was the Chairman and lowly laborer. It is the last committee that I choose to write about here.

Now since my return from vacation I could'nt help but notice that after about two months of neglect (about the time I quit) the landscape islands are looking pretty bleak. Actually weedy.

Now you all know Barry Fry. Well you probably don't know him but you have read his lovely prose in regard to me. Stuff like everything that is bad in North Shore is my fault. Stuff like that. But for now lets just focus on weeds not so much on Barry. We will talk about Barry later.

They (the weeds) are out there. There growing in numbers in every little North Shore island and planter and they feel neglected. Well one of them, the head weed, was telling me just this morning that he wants to be thrashed and pulled out by the roots by infamous North Shore Landscaping advocate Barry Fry and then thrown into the road to rot and be run over by speeding cars. I said, don't get too exciting I don't think Barry's coming. He does'nt like to get his hands dirty. He won't come and get you, he'll try to get someone else to come out and get you. Or he will write some ditty on this Chat Box about how buzy he is in some other state or performing some other important mission in Angola.

Another little weed, just a tike mind you, wants to be pummeled by Greg. He knows Greg is out there lurking and the suspense is killing him. He just wants Greg to step up and wack him now. This waiting and wondering when Greg will show up is too much for the little tike. And lastly, one mean fat little sticker weed said he dares anyone to come out and pull him out. Not Barry, not Stop CVS, not Miss Flip-Flops, not even Greg. He's not afraid. The mean fat little sticker weed is just going to grow and grow until he takes over the whole planter. Then lets see who is big enough to pull him out.

So there you have it boys and girls. The planters are full of weeds and nobody is coming. Not Stop CVS, not Greg, not Barry. And not even Ms. Flip-Flops. So where is the action figure ''Landscape Steve'' when you need him? Maybe its time to dress him up and send him out!

P. S. For those of you who know me, well, you know that I am just a beginner with this computor stuff. I'm a student and a work in progress. But I have to tell you. I really, really, like it. I think I am beginning to get the hang of it. I sit here and think and before you know it my chubby little fingers are flying all over the keyboard and I find that I have spit out a thousand words. And for those of you who know thats not good. The limit is only six hundred itsy bitsy little words. I find myself spending more time taking things out and editing myself down than I do writing the thousand words to begin with. Oh well, I am after all, only a student and work in progress!

By Steven D. Lange

Got the Point, less is best

Steve, I got your point that no one (starting with me) is eager to take time to maintain the planting beds like you have done.

It is not necessary to point out all of the people that will not do the job. These people you speak of were instumental in having you removed from office. It would sufice to say, now they should be responsible for placing together a committee to take care of the problem.

I do not blame you for not doing the maintenance any longer. You did it long enough. Now the current President should use his leadership to place together another group to get the job done.

By JC

What about College Cutters?

What about the group of landsapers called College Cutters? You always said they were supposed to maintain
the beds.

To: Got the PT. & Coll. Cutters

Jc, I can't argue with a thing you said. What you said was fine and true.

As for Anonymous, you want to know what happened to College Cutters. Well they and I used to help each other do the work in North Shore. Mind you, they only did certain types of landscaping maintenance. That was all they were supposed to do. I and the many volunteers who stepped forward time and again did the rest. The reason College Cutters no longer does any maintenance is because Greg Burton, Jim O'Donnell and one or two others wanted College Cutters gone. They did it by stopping the College Cutter newsletter ad without ever sending any sort of letter or notice to them. This was done around last October/November when I was again on a vacation. Upon my return when I discoverd what had happened I brought it up to the board and it was discussed and decided that I would get them back and get their ad back into the newsletter which is exactly what I did. Since that time the Stop CVS'ers have pulled the ad again (check your last two newsletters and you will see what I mean)and thereby violated the agreement North Shore had with College Cutters. The deal was free advertizing for certain free landscaping maintenance services. Now we have no such services.

By Steven D. Lange