Wabbit Ears

[Off Keith Hill Road, Grafton; 6pm, 6/17/07; click to view larger]

If I keep wealy wealy still...

--

I managed to get out for a walk late this afternoon. Nice to stretch my legs, nice to see the scenery up Keith Hill, which I haven't walked up to for awhile. I remember so many walks up that way in all kinds of weather. I saw rabbits today and remembered where I saw rabbit tracks in the snow one time. Fall leaves, November brown, that's where the magnolias blooms so magnificently for about a week in the spring, that's where I saw ducks on the pond, where I took the photo of the lone tree in the stark winter landscape, where I saw the great blue heron jet over me and land near the water hole. An older woman was weed-whacking in her front yard and she smiled and nodded to me. It's small-town friendly. Well, New England small-town friendly anyway. I've lived here for 20 years, minus a couple, which doesn't make me town folk but at least familiar.

I felt oddly non-nostalgic, though. When I moved out for those two years to live with my then boyfriend, I'd only owned my condo for 2-3 years. I felt sorry to leave it and missed the area, much as I was happy to be with him. Now circumstances are much different. I'm ready to move on. It is lovely here, but I need to be more engaged in life among people. When I moved back here in February 1994, I no longer had a job and was freelancing from home, and many of the people I socialized with in the neighborhood had graduated (many vet school students) and left. So it's been a lonelier existence. More of my friends live away from here, many in the Boston area. And that's where I work now. That's where S is, should he stick around. If not, well, there's much more social life in the city. Time to go.

Comments

[marja-leena]

What a lovely description of one of your obviously favourite walking places. You sound happy, optimistic and ready for new challenges and friendships! Way to go and lots of luck, Leslee!

[leslee]

Thanks, Marja-Leena. I'll be finding new favorite walking spaces where I'm going, I'm sure.

[Peter]

What great ears!

" It's small-town friendly. Well, New England small-town friendly anyway. I've lived here for 20 years, minus a couple, which doesn't make me town folk but at least familiar."

Sounds a bit like Richmond, where a lot of my family lives. It would be hard for me to live there, I've always thought.

[Lucy]

What exciting moves and changes are happening with you!
And you sound upbeat and happy about it, good luck and good courage!

[Keith]

good luck with the move.

[Sara]

Bunny! Bunny, bunny, bunny! (Sorry; goofy for bunnies, in public, again.)

But as you know well, the bunnies and the ferns and the rivers and the "ponds" will still be here whenever you want to visit them. Meanwhile, you will have more energy for everything that matters to you once you stop spending hours of your day driving.

[Leslee]

Peter: But that was friendly! Of course now I move to New England big city suburbs.

Yesterday the local town newspaper (1/week) called me because I'd neglected to include a check with my classified ad. Monday 5pm was their classified ad deadline. She said, no problem - just mail it. And she rounded the figure downwards (I'd gone over the 25 word fixed rate so planned to include the extra 20 cents). That's small town.

Thanks, Lucy. I am very excited about the move. Will feel better once we sign the lease!

Thanks, Keith. Maybe I'll find some new empty chair photos for you. ;-)

Sara: Cute, isn't he? I'm not far from lots of greenery - wildlife sanctuary, reservoir, parks - all in walking distance. And yes, I expect to have more energy. The driving - or at least traffic - is such an energy sink.