A fond farewell

My home for the past seven years has been a lovely little white house on a wonderful piece of wooded property. This spot became a part of me - so much so that the thought of leaving it one day filled me with despair. We have now moved to our new house, which I love in a whole new way. But I wanted to write a few things about the old one, as a tribute, before I can truly enjoy the next one.

Here are some random thoughts about some of my favorite things about living there.

- My wonderful landlords, Mike and Susan, who I knew were always there, one lot away, to help me with anything that might come up. Not just house problems, but with anything. I miss having them next door already.

- Before all the housing developments moved in, it was wonderful taking my dogs for a walk. We never knew what wild life we would see, especially if we walked closed to dusk. Squirrels, rabbits, an occaisional possum, horses and cows, random dogs from time to time. We would watch the emu couple staring back at us tentatively, and once got to see their chicks running in a line behind them. I don't know what happened to them - one day they just weren't there anymore.

- There was a horse-boarding barn that gave riding lessons a couple of times a week. I loved watching the students learning to jump the barriers on those beautiful strong creatures. Sometimes the horses would wander up to the fence and I'd try to pet them through the electric fence. Once one of them took a bite out my sweater, which luckily was very thick and old.

- The bird population was amazing throughout the years I lived there. Some birds were around all year- blue jays, cardinals, wrens, grackels. Some only made an appearance while migrating. Woodpeckers covered both catagories. There was one day when what must have been a gigantic woodpecker was squawking his trills from the top of a tree. I never got a good look at him, and only heard him that one morning. My husband became infatuated with the hawk couple that would always circle as he took the dogs for a walk Saturday mornings. One late morning we laid in our hammock between the grand oak trees and watched them soaring and determined they were having fun.

- The trees themselves hold an especially fond place in my heart. The majestic oaks in the back of the yard were overgrown with huge grapevines, and to spend time back there, looking up through the trees, was heaven to me. That's where most of the birds would spend their time. Several nights I saw possums quickly making their way back up the vines to the other side of the fence.

- One day Jav and I heard the dogs going crazy and went out to see three armadillos, (we think adolescents) rummaging around looking for grubs in the dirt.

- Again, the dogs led us to discover a big turtle who had come from under the house. He was scared to death, having made it to the fenceline, but was now trapped by the dogs. We decided to drive him to Randol Mill Park, thinking he needed water nearby. (This was before researching and finding that there are water turtles and land turtles.) The turtle came out of his shell after driving a few minutes, and was very agitated to be in a moving car. When we were about three minutes away from the park he started peeing on me, which Jav found hysterical. We deposited him on a sunny rock and wished him well in his new home.

The things I will miss most about the house are

the toads that come out in late spring-there deep bellowing mating calls all night long

the ladybugs who invaded our house every November or so, and stayed up the corners of our ten foot ceilings all winter, and all tried to find their way back outside at the first hint of warm weather

the insect population - everything from wasps and praying mantisis to cicada and katydid to the dragonflies that would take care of the mosquitos-I am no longer fearful of bugs but realize how much they are a necessary part of everything

the cardinal couples, one in the front of the house and one in the back, insistently chirping at me to refill the bird feeders

the first whipporwills in the spring

the sound of owls, calling to each other from the tops of trees

the rose bushes in front, one blooming only once in early spring, and the other with it's delicate pink full flowers blooming about four times a year - but always just before Christmas and in April around my grandmother's birthday

going out in the middle of the night and not hearing anything but natural sounds

and finally the donkey that could be heard braying all over the neighborhood. He didn't really seem to have a set pattern, but it would always make me smile when I heard him. When I walked the dogs for the last time, saying goodbye to the neighborhood, we heard him braying goodbye.

The house and the land changed me into a person I never thought I would become. Living there has made me a stronger person, has taught me to appreciate quiet, and has left in me a respect for nature that I would never have had living in suburbia.

Goodbye dear little house, and all the trees, birds and wildlife that surrounds you. I hope the next tenants will take care of you and learn to appreciate you like I did.

Ordinary World

I'm sitting at work listening to Ordinary World by Duran Duran, a song I've always liked. But the line, "Where is my friend when I need you most - gone away", really hit me hard today. My best of lunchtime friends, Glenn Mitchell, passed away Sunday unexpectedly. Glenn was the best host of the best radio talk show in this market, and possibly beyond. One of his many, many fans wrote in her online tribute, "he was like a ray of warm sunshine on a cold day." I agree. He was the high point of my work day. No matter how crappy or stressful of a day I was having, my mood would always brighten to listen to him during my lunch hour. I started leaving to go home everyday because of him. His "Everything You Always Wanted to Know" Friday show left me with so many interesting new things in my head that I would write them down to tell my husband later over dinner.

Some of the shows I have been remembering over the last couple of days: The Grace Slick interview - what an ability to laugh at herself. The former Vanity Fair movie review writer (his name escapes me at the moment). He was English and incredibly funny, so funny that I ordered his book that day. ANY Kinky Friedman interview. Every year when he had a band featured in the Irish Festival. The fantastic Art Prostitute introduction. I even looked forward to pledge drive weeks, because his shows would somehow rise even higher. I loved hearing Glenn and Brian Garner talk about the English language. The Brain Trust shows that I never wanted to end filled with therpeutic laughter.

I've learned about places to eat in this area and the wines to order. I heard great Texas music. I learned more about US presidents and politics, ancient history and culture, and broadened my horizons about current issues. I was fascinated with subjects I'd never heard of before - and hung on Glenn's every question to continue finding out more and more and more. I loved hearing his laugh with it's oh-so-human goofy snort. Glenn had such great questions to ask. He was always professional, prepared, kind, gracious and funny.

I came late to the Christmas Blockbuster. I've only listened for the last three years. But last year will always be truly special for me. My husband and I listened while I finished up some Christmas cooking, we wrapped presents until late at night, and went to sleep listening to the Dylan Thomas "A Child's Christmas in Wales", which I had never heard before Glenn's show. Something about that piece makes me feel like I am six years old again, watching for reindeer in the sky. I will make a point to find a print or recorded version of it, so that I will be reminded of Glenn each Christmas and what he brought to my life. He brought so very much - how can I possibly forget? My world suddenly seems much more ordinary.

I am wondering where my friend is - and will miss him every day.

Dream home

We have been moving over the past two weeks. Haven't slept much, have only been eating really bad food - but are finally all in the house. We love our house. Even though we're only just getting to know it, it feels like we've already lived there a long time. It just feels right when we walk in the front door. Now I'm so glad we took all of the long, hot summer to find just the right one. The pets are digging it too. The dogs love their backyard, and are already protecting it with lots of barking (so much for having happy neighbors.) The cats are amazed at how much more room they all have. They love running across the floors and are exploring every corner of the house. So far everyone seems pretty happy, but that may change since we're having to keep Bones indoors for the next couple of weeks. But Jav and I are the happiest. Even as we discover the little problems that can drive you crazy, or discover things that need repairing, we still think it's full of character and everything we've ever hoped for.

Amen

This proves to me that Jimmy Carter could have been one of our greatest presidents, if he had gotten the job in a different time. What a brilliant mind.