It has been raining a long time. I was glad when it started. Fresh on the heels of several days of sun, I was ready to see the fledgling green shoots of grass in the back yard get a nice cool bath. Perhaps more will be encouraged to join in. Maybe some of the bare patches here and there will be overgrown by a thick knot of fescue and bluegrass.
I spend a lot of time thinking about grass these days. I get up in the morning and look at it. I wander around the back yard peering at corners and guaging the topsoil, squinting at rock, snarling at weeds—and sometimes pulling them altogether. I keep hoping that with enough effort and care, I’ll pull a smooth green lawn out of the lumpy clay square that we bought two months ago. There goes Caleb chasing a soccer ball, and there is Kara throwing a frisbee. There they are in my imagination. But that’s probably not going to happen this year. This year is just pulling suburban hope out of the stubby ground in lumps.
Owning a home should be enjoined by everyone who can, if only for the conversational opportunities. Every man within earshot has opinions aplenty about every aspect of house maintenance and upkeep. And if you can’t find a passerby or the family isn’t answering their cell, then Lowes and Home Depot employ people who would be happy to spend twenty minutes dissecting the merits or demerits of Brazilian versus Italian tile. Owning a home is like paying a fee to relieve awkward silences for the rest of your life. It has been a tremendous relief for me. And, even better, the conversation you’ve purchased isn’t useless small-talk, you actually learn something to boot! Owning a home and buying an iPod: I recommend them both for value per dollar spent.
Braces seem like they might offer the same deal. Financial outlay now for minute-by-minute returns, good returns. A straight investment—even beautiful. Kara got some just this morning, and makes them look absolutely adorable.
One final bit of housecleaning. A recent discovery of bkkeepr.com has got me twittering, so you’ll see my feed on the left hand side. I twitter under the name socialtrinity, same as the LibraryThing account.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment