This is a scene from the land I grew up on. It's across the street from our family owned farm and was recently sold to developers. The aging farmer, who raised ornamental shrubs, had the option of selling the land at agricultural prices or selling it to a developer for about ten times as much. The obvious choice was made, and though I KNOW it's happening everywhere, I feel SO SAD about this loss. I hike this land every day with my dog and other than the occassional hawk, wild turkey or coyote sighting, we are all alone. The rare priveledge of my upbringing in nature is ever so clear on the eve of it being taken away. But much bigger than my own loss is the loss of an ecosystem for a TON of creatures, large and small. Their homes will be gone, the sound of the wind coursing over the land will be gone, the peace, the clean air - it will be replaced by car alarms and McMansions and lawn pestisides and more bushes transplanted from some other nursery all in a row. It's just so painful to know a place so intimately for such a long amount of time and watch it change in an instant. But, it HASN'T HAPPENED YET! There's still time to appreciate it and believe me, I will be.