Urbanization in the exurbs:

For many years, the blinking traffic lights on the main street of my home town have been a discreet, pleasing indicator that we do not live in a despicably built-up area. Our town lost much forest land in the last forty years, and traffic is ever more a problem. But our local lives are touched by little reminders that we live a slightly slower, quieter, more friendly life than our town-mouse relatives.

To see these blinking traffic lights, you must be up very late or very early. These are normal traffic signals from about 6 a.m. to the following 2 a.m. I've been very aware of them Tuesdays, as I cross the main drag at about 5:45 a.m. on the way to broadcast my radio program.

But recently the lights were reprogrammed, and they're normal twenty-four hours a day, no more blinking red and yellow. Urbanization creeps ...