ON THE STREET [PARKING LOT] WHERE YOU LIVE

In Chicago most of the houses face the street. This is all right because, (a) everyone works to have a nice front yard, (b) the front of the houses are very attractive, (c) many of the front yards have wonderful, leafy trees, and (d) people spend most of the time in the kitchen which faces the back of the house, so they never look out the front window except when checking for the mailman. At least that's the way it was in my day.



The best placed house owned by my relatives belonged to Aunt Olga and Uncle Charlie. The back of the house faced the road and the front of the house faced the Rock River. The living room ran the entire front of the house and had numerous windows looking out at the water. There was also a very large pass through window between the kitchen and the living room so that even while you were hard at work preparing meals, you could have a fine view of the River.

Since moving to Florida, I have lived in apartments. I don't know what demon posses some architects, but many of the apartment complexes are designed so that your front window has a fine view of a parking lot–yards and yards of asphalt with vehicles all over the place. About half the apartments in my current location are like this. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Now some of the apartments face the pond which is the nicest view. All things considered, my view isn't too bad. My apartment faces the street, but there is about a eight-foot berm between me and the street. So this is what I see when I sit on my screened porch.


This is from the top of the berm toward where I live.



I sit at my table.



And look out on the world oblivious to the existence of any other person, until that %*&$#@! terrier upstairs starts yapping, on and on and on and on. You'd think it would get tired or loose its bark or something. Yap! Yap! Yap! It's noisy, but at least it isn't quite as bad as the dingbat neighbor I had once time who filled a kiddie-pool on her porch and then just dumped the water of the floor to get rid of it. Some ran out the drain and some ran down the inside of the wall and through my ceiling into my living room. Of course, I am used to floods. Every couple of years, the air conditioner drain plugs up and the water from the second-floor pours into my closet. Usually I don't notice it until I walk into the closet and the floor squishes. What a mess. I've told the management it would help if they regularly cleaned out the drains rather than wait for a disaster, but that is not going to happen. Well, into every life a little rain must fall, only in my case it comes in buckets from the second floor.

However, there's a lot to be said about the grounds here. Plenty of flowers.



And a picturesque bridge.




And secluded paths.



And ducks.



Now, if I could only discipline myself to take enough time to enjoy my surroundings.

As you journey, take time to smell the flowers, listen to the birds, and watch the scenery. May you have pleasant paths and not too many parking lots. May the Lord bless you on your way and greet you on your arrival.

Wayne



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