The View

Look! there's even some wildlife going on! Oh no, that's just our former fat cat who left us for our neighbor who feeds him fish every day...traitor!

Isn't this a lovely view? Over the weekend I discovered a couple of new blogs. One by an Englishwoman (Curlew Country) and one by a Swede (Annas Dagar) living in, I think, Denmark. Really beautiful and inspiring blogs. Since I've always had an itch to live "somewhere else", this blogging thing is really perfect for me. I get to get a glimpse into the everyday lives of people all over the world who have some of the same interests that I do...love it so much! So, back to the "View" and the new blogs. On both of these blogs there are photos of the absolutely gorgeous views from their homes....oh to live somewhere like that...sigh...seriously, I DO dream about it...houses inhabit my dreams regularly. While we were putting together our new bed this weekend I looked out the window and I had to laugh, remembering the bucolic and serene English and Danish countryside depicted on my new favorite blogs....this is what I see....it's actually a little better lately (and I do know about the shanty town's changing nature since I have lived here for going on 17 years now) because the shacks are now caving in and there are trees and all sorts of flora growing out of the holes. The spring is lovely because the aging blue tarp is now disintegrating to shreds and blows blue ribbons all over our still winter-bare garden. The funny thing about this whole scene is that in the 16 1/2 years that I have lived here I have seen the occupant of this house as many times as I have fingers...seriously, it's kind of creepy...but, maybe kind of nice too...quiet neighbors are good ;) We had to have our property surveyed a couple of years ago and the survey said that a "Mr. Smith" owned the house...all my husband and I could think of was THE "Mr. Smith", Matrix style...very mysterious all in all. In a way though, the scene is comforting, it is part of "home" to me...crazy I know...but when I was thinking about this post I was trying to think of how to put it and explain how , even though it's not perfect by any stretch, home doesn't have to be, probably cannot be...but it belongs to me. For so many years I have wanted to move and I wasn't able to financially, now we can move, we could go and find a house that has a better view from the bedroom window, that has an extra room for me to sew in, a house that would be more convenient, but suddenly, right when we CAN, I just don't want to. I love this house and this city and all of the friends and connections that I/we have made here over the years. I want to see the "shanty town" in winter, I want to see it when it finally caves in completely, I'm curious what will finally take it's place when "Mr. Smith" is moved to action. So, I wonder, now that my soul has spoken, now that my years of restlessness are over, will my house dreams stop?