Dear Fellow Retiree: My husband I recently drove to Key West. We noticed many interstate exits in Florida are beautifully landscaped with palms, magnolias and flowers. My first thought was Wow! Does the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department have a landscape budget? If not, can we get one and add magnolias, dogwoods, redbuds and flowers to our exits? -- Natural State Dreamer
Dear Dreamer: The Mahatma is not retired. He is an independent journalist. Or something.
Your timing is good, because the Highway Department says its wildflower program is in full bloom right about now: more than 200,000 acres of roadside, along more than 1,000 miles of highway.
Flowers include red clover, daisies, coneflowers, Queen Anne's lace, black-eyed Susans and others.
Not to mention the milkweed that has been planted over the past two years. Milkweed is favored by migrating monarch butterflies.
Landscaping at interchanges isn't done much, but cities are permitted to "Adopt a Spot" or do landscaping along interstate highways as long as whatever is planted doesn't interfere with sightlines or cause other safety problems.
As for budget, we are told it's difficult to say because beautification is budgeted through each of the Highway Department's 10 districts.
Dear Mahatma: I live on a narrow street, and when cars park on both sides there is barely enough room to drive through. My street is also a shortcut, so it's hard for me to even back out of my driveway. How does one go about making one side of this street no parking? -- Little Rock Resident
Dear Resident: Little Rock has a petition process by which citizens can request parking restrictions. Go to the city's website and find the Public Works Department tab.
We looked at the form. Making a change or restriction will require the signatures of at least 75 percent of the property owners. Folks on both sides of the street must be petitioned. An effort should be made to get the signatures of all the property owners, whether for or against.
There's also space on the form to write out a reason for the request.
Good luck. Seventy-five percent is what's described in the Legislature as a super-majority.
Dear Mahatma: I read your April 13 column with a reference to rainy days and Mondays, and realized you used the title of a Carpenters' song to make a point. You owe the Carpenters a small royalty. As for me, I slipped into a trance, back to when I wore wild shirts and flared pants, drove a Triumph convertible and dated a wild blonde. -- Robert
Dear Robert: How about rainy days and Wednesdays? It's pouring down rain as this is written, and a furry woodland creature has been swept down our street.
Seriously, the title reference doesn't come near to meeting what copyright lawyers call the four-part fair use test.
We don't have space to repeat the test. We'd have to charge you $300, too.
Footnote: We asked about the wild blonde. Married her, Robert said.
Metro on 04/29/2017