As I was perusing the Washington Post on my lunch hour a few days ago, I noticed this story.

I like the second headline (or whatever the journalistic term is) and its use of the term “spectrum of emotions”.

However, what’s the deal? It’s really not that bad a color…it’s not like it’s eggplant (and YES I’ve seen a house of that color) or “John Deere” (as in tractor) green. It’s a fairly sedate shade of purple.

If you read the article in full, though, you’ll see that some “lifers” in the town are acting like the four horsemen of the apocalypse are ready to ride through the tow.

I guess I can see that…I mean, say you’re at a party and someone asks you where you’re from. If you say this town’s name, there’s a fifty-fifty chance someone’s going to say, “You mean that town with the purple house?”

It wouldn’t matter if four poet laureates, six astronauts and Miss America were from there…it’s all about the purple.

But the quote one gentleman made really intrigued me. He said that at least their town was not bound by rules regarding what they want to do with their homes or yards.

That’s what the “Gated Community Society” has come to. You compromise individuality with safety. Painting your house purple should hardly be cause for concern, but at least in a town without a “homeowners association”, all you’re going to get is some teasing and grumbling. With a homeowners association, you’ll get a letter asking you to change your ways, or fines, or orders to repaint your house.

I guess I was not born to understand. But then again, I live in an apartment.

Bye…