Yeah, so, that happened. I finally got the attention of a member of Monty Python. At least it wasn’t followed by a restraining order.
I have no nostalgia for the homes of my childhood, no desire to return to any of them. But curiosity got the better of me recently, and I decided to have a look on Google Street View at the house I lived in longer than any other in Henderson, Kentucky. And I was stunned: all of the trees in front of that house, and most of the trees on that part of the street, are gone. The street was shady in my childhood, with many of the trees heavy with blooms in the spring. I remember the smell. I remember the shade, providing relief on scorching hot days. I remember the birds, sometimes overwhelming in the noise they made in the evenings. The street now looks barren – and cheap. I wonder how much everyone’s air conditioning has gone up without all that glorious shade. It’s just another ugly street in the USA now.
I live in a historic neighborhood now, in Oregon, covered in trees. People are out walking through it all the time. There’s a house near us that isn’t historic, isn’t all that attractive, on its own. Probably built in the 70s. But the three gorgeous Oregon pine trees out front made it beautiful, cozy… sweet. I’d look at it as I walked by and think, it’s amazing how these trees make this place look so appealing.
The long-time owner of the house died recently, and the new owner moved in almost immediately.
And those three trees are gone. The trees weren’t hurting the sidewalk, nor the foundation, and were oh-so-healthy.
The tiny, sweet front porch that looked so inviting now looks like the cheap tack-on that it is. The shady sidewalk I sought out all summer now bakes in the full sun for hours. The house looks like just a cheap pre-manufactured home.
Did you enjoy my travelogue for our 16-day trip to the Yukon and back? Or the photos?
Where to next? Not sure. Lots of dreams…
What about the chalk art festival photos?
“Portlandia” was filming this month at a store very near us. If I’d known, I would have stood outside with a sign that said, “Rose City Rollers storyline NOW!!!”
I’ve now lived in Oregon longer than any other state in the USA except Kentucky. I’ve lived in Oregon for six years, longer than I was in California (five years, 11 months), Texas (four years, three months), Connecticut (almost two years), Massachusetts (two summers) and New York (two months).
I’m a gypsy. I know, it’s not the politically-correct term, but I love it so much more than the term that’s in vogue now: nomad. The longest I’ve been at a job is just over four years. The longest I’ve been at the same address since I was 22 was four and a half years – that was in Sinzig, Germany.
I love getting to know a new community, starting a new job, etc. I’ve always loved it. It’s been a much more affordable way to see different places in the world than continually traveling. But… I’m also so tired of moving. Since my time at university, I’ve moved more than 15 times. I’d like to keep traveling as long as I can – travel is in my blood – but I’d really like to stay here in our home for a while, at least longer than I’ve lived at any other address, which means I’d like to stay put at least through July 2017. 10 years would be January 2023. I’ll be 57. How frightening…
On the night of the lunar eclipse, I did an interpretive dance with a tennis ball to illustrate to Stefan the difference in a New Moon and a lunar eclipse. He did not applaud at the end.
From my living room window, I saw a guy last night sitting on the steps of a nearby church, frantically swatting away imaginary bugs crawling all over him, or putting out tiny imaginary fires all over his body. I debated what to do. Call the police – because he was tripping and who knows what he’d do next, he might hurt himself, he might need medical attention… don’t call police because he isn’t bothering anyone, he is obviously in a very vulnerable state and could be harmed by others and needs to be alone, he has no where else to go, I’d rather him be there than in someone’s back yard… I ended up calling. Police arrived, the bugs immediately disappeared, they talked, they drove away, he walked away. Problem in no way solved, situation in no way improved. And I’m still debating.
Off to Kentucky in a few weeks…
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