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No doubt about it, the empty eyes of ghosts are staring at each of us, whether we realize it or not. They seem to be real, even solid in their stance, but if you look carefully, you see that they are just empty, transparent and not meant for this world. These are the ghosts on 108th Avenue.

Where I live and walk and enjoy the songbirds every day is, generally speaking, a very nice part of south Florida. It's got a good reputation, has a lot of trees (an "Arbor City") and generally, its city services, police protection and other civic amenities are very good for its citizens. In fact, where I live is even considered a safe haven from hurricanes (a reality in south Florida), such that the entire county government moves here when the coastal headquarters are threatened by deadly wind and rain of Hurricane (fill in the blank).

Yet, something is amiss. As I mentioned, there are ghosts living right here, in plain sight. They are putting on airs of being "OK", but really they are not the same. They are now ghosts, and whether the neighbors like it or not, they are a sign of the times. Who are they? Why are they here? They are the houses that no longer have owners or residents. They are the fine, upstanding middle class citizens that no longer have their gardens tended or their insides filled with useful things, like furniture and decorations. They are the sad leftovers of the "home loan craze" and "financial bubble" that was the middle 2000's, as in 2004-2009, which we are still living through at this time.

It's not hard to spot them, but you have to take the time to look. If you cruise by at 30 MPH in your four-door wheels, then perhaps you'll miss them. But if you walk by at 3-5 MPH on a morning stroll, you'll notice the lawn is unkempt. You'll see that plants in the landscaping are dying or sorely in need of a trim. The roof will be dirty and unkempt (here it's a rule to keep the barrel tiles clean), and sometimes you'll see through semi-covered windows that the insides are hollow and not a human soul is to be found in the ghosts on 108th Avenue.

Sad to see, and scary, too, as ghosts are. What do you see in your neighborhood? How do you deal with it, and what is the future for these forlorn folks? Sale, Lease or Rent or worse (foreclosure?), what's in store? Do you know friends or ex-neighbors that have been swept out of their homes and into less-desirable settings? I hope that all of us find a way out of this spiral to ghostliness and ghastliness that touches us all.

Thanks for reading. Share this blog with a friend or post a comment, but keep reading, and whatever you do, do your part to help those who are close to turning into ghosts. We don't want this to haunt anyone, ever.

© Daniel A. Cabrera, TopExec.org, All Rights Reserved, 2009.