Neighborly Wisdom & Mirth

I was blessed to join an impromptu gathering collected around a neighbor who was puppy-sitting. Lulu-Bell is a newly weaned, Miniature Cocker Spaniel whose cute-rays are absolutely over-powering. Pam had us all in stitches as she regaled us with tales of this tiny, "paws-with-ears" standing it's own against her black lab. She especially endeared herself to me when she declared, "A puppy brings the nice out in 'everbody'".
We shared & laughed until the pinks & peaches of the evening, gave way to the mauves & blues of dusk. I secretly longed for a writing pad, but was was able to commit one other bit of her wisdom to my memory: "It's good to have a bit o' torment every now & again~ reminds ya you're alive." As my husband would say, "boy, howdy"...I surely have been alive this past year !

Evening Delight

My schedule is running pretty full & food is not something I plan for very well.I arrived home from school one day, anticipating a full evening of things to do & places to go. I opened the fridge & discovered a beautiful, ceramic soup tureen.
A long-time neighbor had come by & asked if we would mind sharing in her bounty. "When I get in the kitchen & start cooking, I always end up making too much. Some folks might be insulted, but I would like to share it with you." It was full of homemade, vegetable soup & was absolutely glorious!
Miss Patty is the other "animal & nature lady" in the neighborhood. She & I sat for hours next to the pond, as the bulldozer irrevocably altered our landscape. We compared notes on the neighborhood wildlife, where they live & when we watch. It was comforting to have someone to mourn with. Completely by surprise, on a busy Monday afternoon, this beautiful tureen of homemade soup! She had no way to know our schedule for the next few days & how this would bless us...
God knows our needs before we ask. He had nudged her & she responded. How many times do I heed or ignore "His still, small voice"?

Perched

My home is up the hill, behind the trees on the far side of this road.This is the duck pond where I watch the sun rise, & which feeds our waterfall. As soon as my baby knew how to throw, we walked this road to the pond every day for him to throw stones. Years later, as my preschooler & I went to feed the ducks, a man & his young daughter were out fishing near the swing. “Why don’t you get some rods & fish with us”... & so a friendship was born. In recent months, I have written about friendships & the difficulties I have had letting people in...but his family, especially his wife, breached the wall. Our families gathered together for campfires & Bible studies. We wrestled with "righteous anger" together in God’s Word. We gardened together, shared coffee & goodies on the bench, swam, picked blackberries, entertained bored, neighborhood children, chased ducks in the paddleboat... & we became friends.
It seems as though their house has been for sale for years. The signs had become but lawn ornaments to me, though I rarely noticed them anymore. Driving passed a couple of weeks ago I thought, "I should just take them down myself..." & I knew then, as though it had been uttered, I knew...The phone call came but hours later. The house had sold, they would be out in 2 weeks. We will love the new people. She even said, they “couldn’t have hand-picked better people. They mirror us in so many ways...”


The house is all but empty now. The swing is still & all is strangely quiet. The boat has been dry-docked, upside down, as my world seems to be. The patio that once held a wicker world of comfort, is but a concrete pad. The bench where we of whispered & laughed together is now bare of the potted dogwoods. The concrete pelican guarding over the lake awaits a third family. The fallen wisteria arbor on the island will have to be righted by it's new owners. I adjusted the camera exposure in these shots to represent my melancholy...I sit perched, awaiting a new chapter in my life....

New Life & Growth

For 9 or 10 years, we have had a tee-tiny Carolina wren nest in our carport. She nests right above where we sit and hang out...especially during storms. 3 years back, Tom got on a left-brain rampage and labelled everything on the shelves. He had a left-over jug, which he cut in half, & labelled, "handy container". Momma wren agreed and this is the 3rd year she has nested there.


She will come and go regularly, barely noticing us sitting beneath her. She is the tiniest of birds and has the loudest and most melodic of all our song-birds. Truly an amazing metaphor God created.


This year, she had a record-setting 5 babies !!!


The kids have grown & grown and now overflow the little bin....Saturday, it was time for big bro to stick his head out and lead the flock.....



We were so blessed to be out there as they took their first flying lessons. Poor things...trying so hard, but slamming and falling and trying again. I was afraid for them, but could hear momma singing a strong song of encouragement.... They all made it out of the carport to the "Carolina Blue" sky...and safely returned. SUCH a tremendous blessing to witness day 1 of flight training !!!!


Another metaphor in this is to be seen in our lives....Sometimes we start to feel crowded and that it's time for a change... We look out and see a huge drop...it takes faith and a lot of practice. We can spread our wings and head out into new directions, as long as we have our Father-God's blessing and encouragement. THAT takes faith and relationship.

Bob the Peony

This is Bob. Bob is a peony, named in honor of an old neighbor of ours, from our Maryland days. His yard was completely circled with peonies from his mother's house. The fragrance is luscious...similar to roses but not as overdone. This year, Bob the Peony had 31 big, gorgeous blossoms, right across from our front door. Without HVAC, we have had all the doors and windows open and our home is filled with the fragrance !!! Fantabulous!


Our neighbor, Bob, was the "old guy on the street who always knew everything that was going on". It was an oak-lined neighborhood of Post-WWII, GI-Bill, Cape Cod-style homes. Bob was retired and when he wasn't tending his gardens, he would stand at his open door, watching. When he would spy something unusual, he would call his wife, Jean. I loved to mess with Bob. At the time, I thought I was allergic to grass and wore a white, dust mask to mow the lawn. This aroused Bob's curiosity. As time went on, I developed my "lawn mowing uniform": white lab coat, hard-hat and dust-mask with white, storm- trooper, wrap-around sunglasses. I wore this outfit even in humid, 100+ degree, D.C. sauna conditions. Bob always called Jean to the door. Both would stand, with hands to open mouths and watch me mow the entire lawn. Never once, in all those years, did either of them comment on any of this....but every time I cut the grass, I donned my outfit and saw them from the corner of my eye.(I wish I could remember the tree-trimming outfit I wore...I think it was a tarzan sorta thing......)

I like to make events out of mundane tasks. I have been in search of the perfect, white, froo-froo GOWN for weeding my gardens....I believe in making life as fun as possible... entertaining the neighbors is just an added bonus!