How lucky we are to live in such a calm respectful neighborhood? I ask myself today. For I truly love my neighbor's chickens, love all the space on my patio, adore the fire pit too. I love the big trees, the cute cottage homes down our street, this big open blue sky! In this bit of space on earth I can see all that I love within a second of pausing to be grateful for it! AND I love all my neighbors too! One sweet lady whose big huge garden is sharing my backyard fence happens to have become my very dear friend so quickly! I see her almost everyday now and enjoy our long conversations and lazy moments over tea. When she first came home from the hospital I helped her out twice a day for the things she needed. Then she grew stronger to be more independent, so now I just get her groceries and share my dogs for her to pet. She has been living in this neighborhood over 50 years, now at the age of 80 she can tell you a good story about anything and I am so happy to listen, to learn and be apart of her life! I hope to be just as out going and friendly as she is when I reach her beautiful age. I ask gardening questions and listen to all she has growing outside right now, from clever cats to adorable dogs her stories can make me laugh till I cry sometimes! With my long afternoons visiting or short pop-ins, I enjoy our time together! We were very surprised the other day to watch the neighbor across the street feeding a pig on her balcony! Oh how we laughed at that, from our neighbor Alex and his chickens to this fatty pig across the street to the row of houses with all their dogs even loose adventurous cats. Our neighborhood is truly miraculously FULL of life! Now I haven't been here for a whole year yet but having such a delightful neighbor such as Bernice makes everything around me truly amazing! How lucky am I? I still ask this every morning with a strong smile.......
I was walking out my back yard door with an empty box as the last 2 days was nothing but boxes and moving in. I glanced up to see a lady with curly white hair petting my dog at the end gate of this huge backyard. I didn't waste a second introducing myself as I skipped along in my brown skirt and red t-shirt. "Hi There! You must be Bernice from next door? I really LOVE your place it's so adorable!" I smiled big against the late morning sunshine. Bernice looked at me in true surprise that I would know her name as she let me follow her along the path to our irrigation water. Bernice smiled back at me saying "You seem like a very responsible person right away AND in flood irrigating takes responsibility." I knew I was going to like her instantly! We walked past some chickens as she explained never leave the grates open or something can get to the chickens. "How truly wonderful to live next door to chickens!" I said in a wistful way as Bernice chuckled replying as we trucked through over grown vines and weeds, "Oh Alex's own them but he travels the world so they kinda just live walking all around." I instantly caught Bernice at that moment as she almost tripped over a another vine root. I smiled kindly not to embarrass her as we steadied ourselves again while I stood thinking when I came back through I would clean up this crazy path! Talking to Bernice about our surrounding neighbors and pets was the moment I knew that finally I had found myself a real home! Bernice saw her backyard flooding with water and I gladly walked her through my home, "How nice of you to let me cut across." She said with a sweet smile and I even gave her a small hug at the door "Of course any time and if you need anything just let me know!" I said back with a wave while humming through out my cozy cottage afterwords that Mr. Roger's neighborhood theme song:-)
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