2007.
My babies
still babies
on the glider,
barely green.
Front porch of the Rocklawn house —
now, three houses ago —
the stone house great-uncle Percy
built back in the ’30s.
Much to miss and as much not.
Barely Green
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Estate Sale
I stopped by an estate sale this morning after graduation, but they always make me sad.
Today, a friend from way back happened to be there. She had known the people who’d lived there basically all her life, since she grew up and still lives up the street.
She told me the man was 97 when he died, always cheerful and still looking 50, not a wrinkle in sight.
And he’d outlived his wife by a long time.
Yet here are her handbags. And there are her sweaters. And her earrings. And watches. And shoes.
Everything priced to sell: silver and silver-plated serving bowls, trays, and utensils; plates and cups; books.
And all these strangers rummaging through it all…
It’s a testament to what’s really important in this life. And it’s not what you can’t take with you.
Response to Mr. Clemens
I agree, Mr. Clemens. It truly is a mess in here!
And you standing there in your white suit…
I’ve done all I can do. I’ve emailed and forwarded and caught people in the hallway. Since Monday the 6th. Sigh.
Today, I trashed my students’ papers, the ones that were drenched when that tile fell. It’s a good thing we decided in this morning’s department meeting to do away with that whole portfolio thingy, huh?
Well, everything’s packed up, and you’re left to watch the slowly filling bucket.
Water torture, indeed.
Branching Out
Branch out, stretch and grow.
But don’t forget where your roots are.They’re heavy at first, those roots,
holding you back, weighing you down
when you’re thin and wispy,
when you just want to soar.One day, though, that same heavy
will seem security, anchor, bedrock,
your wisp thickened and hard,
your soar stunted and scared.So branch out, yes, stretch and grow.
But don’t forget where your roots are.©2011 Jo Hawke
New House … The Den!
One of my favorite things about the new house is the den. It’s on the back of the house, behind the dining room/kitchen area, and the three rooms really comprise a sort of L-shaped great room.
I love the:
- adjustable shelves! Of course, even after weeding out tons, I still have at least four times the number of books that would fit on them. 😉
- amazing view of the backyard! From this angle, I can pretend I’m in the middle of the country, yet still have all the benefits of living in the city.
- French doors that (will) open onto the deck (as soon as someone finds a key or we rekey the lock)! 😛
After a good cleaning (tomorrow morning!), we’ll be able to start moving stuff in! #soexcited
House-Buying Celebration!
After we took the grand tour through our new house, my aunt Joy, in from Atlanta, took us out to dinner yesterday at our new favorite Mexican restaurant, Nuestra Hacienda: great food and great service! 🙂
We had fun talking and listening to the kids. Joy bargained with Atticus to eat nine (not ten!) french fries and the rest of his chicken nuggets. Lucas explored various ways of annoying Kevin with his drink and food. My dad gave my mom the rabbit ears when I took a picture. Yenni, who (along with her brother) owns the restaurant, brought the sombrero out for the kids to have fun with.
It was a really nice time. Thanks, Joy!!
Our New Home :)
A view into our new backyard ... with a rainbow on top!
Today, we signed the papers on a house!!!!
Finally, instead of investing in someone else’s property, we’ll be investing in our own.
Overall, the process has been as easy as it could possibly have been, but it’s still been stressful (mostly because Kevin and I both think and fret too much).
We are very thankful for the awesome ladies who have helped us get to this point.
- Our realtor Gaynelle Crowder has also been a great friend in this process. I’ve known her pretty much all my life and was the flower girl in her wedding. 🙂 Always smiling and kind, Gaynelle is very sweet (and we love her!). She put up with our inconsistently picky requirements.
- Katie Smith at BB&T has been so kind and sweet…and patient with us and our questions. She has really made the painstaking bank yadda-yadda not so painstaking.
- And Gayle Wyatt at Carter Craig was so sweet and patient today, explaining that mountain of paperwork, so that we actually felt like we understood it a bit.
We’re really excited to be starting on this new adventure. YAY!
Now, if I could just wriggle my nose and move everything there…
A View of Downtown
This is one of the hanging baskets along Main Street, just down from the new Dan River Art Works gallery. In the background is, I believe, the old Hotel Danville.
Afternoon at the Pool
Atticus and I spent a few hours at my mom’s family’s reunion today.
A good breeze, friendly conversation, and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers more than made up for the heat.
Although Attie was slow to (literally) warm up to the pool, I had to (literally) pull him out when it was time to go…
(Thank you, Aunt Marie and Uncle Robert, and Judy and David!!)
What kind of person…
…goes into a courthouse bathroom and pulls out fingernail polish to decorate the stall wall? Just wondering…