Admiring the Neighbors

Everyday treasures can be found in your neighborhood. It depends what you look for? It depends how you define treasure.

We live on the same street year after year. We meet neighbors across a common fence, through bushes bordering our properties, in front of garage doors. We chat about the weather, the lack of snow shovelling tractors appearing on snowy days, and which trees should be cut down.

I have not always had neighbors like that. Nice ones, who care about others and contribute to a friendly atmosphere on our little street.
We once had a property with plans for building a home to suit the needs of our family, but when we found out that one neighbor had shot the other neighbor's dog and a third one was collecting signatures to get our family off the street (because they did not like the design of our house). Needless to say, we sold our property and moved on to friendlier pastures.

Life is simply too short to waste on strife and collecting enemies.

The Duck and Cherry is firmly planted on a street with a variety of interesting neighbors. They are good people and I like them.

I brought my camera on a morning walk with Hector, the Wheaten Terrier, and captured some of the clever ideas my neighbors display. I admire my neighbors for what they have accomplished on their lots.

Here are some of the things I especially like:

An easy nature friendly garden without much fuss. 

Flower beds are up on the front side of the house.

Nice-looking and clever bin made for drying and storing wood for cold winter months.

Massive wall resembling a Greek fortress supports the hill towards this house.

Excellent workmanship from this stone art work in front of a garage.

Gates on the allee with two porter's lodges on either side.

Berry bushes planted on the corner of a property, 

which otherwise would stand useless and unnoticed.

Pretty flower beds. 

They belong to the neighbor I ask for advice on everything garden, 

like when and how to prune the apple and plum trees.

Nicely built stone planter.

View from the allee. Old trees and stone fences on either side. 

Sheep on the meadow.

Our own stone wall. Arnfinn dug the soil by hand and built this fence. 

I especially like the curve shown here.

A "Swimming" Living Room Dream

Arnfinn and I ate cake in a most amazing living room yesterday.Our neighbors have transformed their indoor swimming hall to a living room extraordinaire. The high-vaulted ceiling added space and light, there were large windows, even a lovely bay window, two large chandeliers, and beautiful large paintings. Two of my own painting hung there, too.

As we walked home on the cold, crisp snow I told Arnfinn that we needed a room like that to accommodate our large family for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and days like that. "I think we should build an addition like that onto our house," I said teasingly.
"You just need to sell a lot of books first," he replied, flashing the boyish smile that I love so much about him.

Oh, well--it's great to dream. Without dreams, how can dreams come true?

For now, I truly enjoy our quaint little living room with old and new furniture, paintings by my dad and myself, Russian matryoshkas, my collection of witches, Poppy the parakeet, and a cozy fireplace.
Suits us just fine, but if we can come and eat cake with the neighbors now and then in their beautiful high-ceiling room, that's great too.

I'm tired today and today's water color shows a cute teddy on a soft pillow. Looks wonderful, tempting.

Smell like dirt!

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.  Margaret Atwood

Ha ha ha....why couldn't she say that we should smell like roses?
Anyway, here at the Duck and Cherry, spring has sprung and my days now have garden work like mowing the lawn, weeding, and planting added to the agenda.
My neighbor Ragnar has a beautiful garden and spends hours every day out in the fresh air, taking care of his cultivated nature patch. Ragnar is very friendly and a gentleman, the kind I can go and ask for advice when I am confused about what to do in my own garden. He can tell me when to prune, how to prune, what to plant, and so on. He even comes over and shows me how and assists me.
Good neighbors is a great  asset to our street. It's not as if we see them all the time or go out with them, but they are friendly and kind.
Strange how neighbors meet more in the summer as we are outside working the garden and take a few minutes now and then to chat through the bushes or next to the wheel barrow with a shovel in hand.
So, maybe it's OK to smell like dirt at the end of the day. It would at least prove that I had done an honest day's work in the garden.

Today's photograph is of two of the wild cherry trees here in the garden of The Duck and Cherry.

Home at The Duck and Cherry

Our neighbor's chow-chow named Thai just passed by on the small road outside The Duck and Cherry. He is getting old, but going out he behaves like young dog, full of energy and excited. Coming home, I see our neighbor dragging him behind on the leash. He does not like to go home!
I like coming home! Home is the best place on earth. There are many sayings like: "Home is where the heart is" and Home sweet Home" and
Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz clicks her ruby slippers and says: "There's no place like home." I believe her.
We have moved a lot - and I always felt that if I could hang some of our paintings and pictures on the wall, and my family was there with me - then I was home - even if it meant living in the Far East, America, or Europe.
My mother was the heart of my childhood home. When she passed away, the house was never the same. The heart was gone.
Here are some quotes about home:
"It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home."  ~Author Unknown
"Where thou art - that - is Home."  ~Emily Dickinson
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."  ~Jane Austen
"Home is a shelter from storms - all sorts of storms."  ~William J. Bennett
"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."  ~Charles Dickens

Four legged neighbors

We welcome the herd of sheep on the neighboring parcel. They have already been sheared and are happily grazing in the wooded area next to The Duck and Cherry.

When I was little and our family lived in Canada, the neighbor's goats escaped and came to visit us. Not only did they jump on the car, they ran inside the house and chewed on bed sheets and anything they found interesting. My mother had quite a time trying to get the critters back outside.

We may often have opinions about our neighbors and how they go about their daily affairs. Is their hedge too high? Do they put garbage out causing rats to gather? Do they mow the lawn or use their chain saw on peaceful Sundays? Do they accuse you of moving land marks?

On Saturday I received an anonymous letter in the mailbox. It was rude and unfriendly, a threat letter written by someone who is afraid of dogs, thinking Hector (who is always on a leash if he is outside) will come and attack them. Poor people, they don't know that he is a cuddly teddy bear born with a deep voice.

But the letter has upset me and made me sad. There may be things we don't like about our neighbors' conduct, and I have experienced all the questions above around our neighborhood. Nevertheless, I am convinced that writing anonymous threat letters should not be the solution. I actually like our neighbors!

The sheep next to our house say "bah, bah". I am so glad they don't say "Bah humbug", because I like them, their happy presence, noise and all!

Today's photo was taken this morning from our veranda.