5,000 Hits?!

Well, boys and girls, it looks as though before the day is over "Greenwich Gossip" will have scored 5,000 hits on the visitors' counter. Actually, that number is a little fuzzy, since the counter wasn't added until a month or so after the infant weblog made its debut; moreover, it also notches upwards every time your scribe himself visits the site in order to write a new post. But it's close enough for blogland purposes, methinks.

Let us then take a moment to reflect on what has now been nearly a year of blogging. Are we here in Greenwich better off than last summer? Well, in many ways, the answer is a resounding "Yes!". Jim Lash is packing his bags at Town Hall, Jimmy Wawa has left for parts unknown (curiously, it seems he doesn't want us to know how to find him; one hears he rented a phone booth for his farewell party, and still had trouble filling it), and David Ridberg takes over today as the new Chief of Police. Peace seems to reign between the cop union and management, including the commish at Town Hall. No more picketing, no more "Lash Out!" tee shirts, no more "FLASH" bumper stickers, no more votes of no confidence.

Likewise, the growth of the invasive chain store kudzu on Greenwich Avenue has been slowed, and even cut back in places. There are a record number of vacant storefronts as the chains have realized that a) they are not welcome here and b) they will wind up losing money thanks to the rapacious landlords who keep jacking up the rents past all reason. The family-owned stores like Betteridge's and Richards are doing fabulously well, and have now been joined by Shep and Ian's Vineyard Vines (local boys who have made good, and then some!).

So, all in all, Greenwich is a happier and nicer place to live than it was a year ago. Your scribe would like to think that his blog is part of the reason for this - post hoc ergo propter hoc, and all that - as well as that some of those 5,000 hits may have been from people who have helped to bring about some of the changes of the past year, and found inspiration and ideas in these pages. But modesty forbids such thoughts; and part of the fun of blogging is that one never knows (do one?) where the sown seeds may fall, and which ones may bear fruit.

So let us wave to all those who have stopped by to visit, including the finally-divorced AuthorBabe, the newly-published (see yesterday's post) AuthorWhiz, and the soon-to-be-published author of the never-to-be-forgotten "Trevor and the Tooth Fairy", Miss Erica herself. And, of course, all the lurkers, like Neil and Joanne Bouknight, Ed Krumeich, and other faithful readers who make the counter click but never leave a comment. Cheers, one and all!