A grateful heart: Feeling neighborly

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a frog!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a toilet!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a banana!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a baby!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a meatball!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into an earring!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a piece of paper!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into an apricot!”

“[Bzzzz] I turned you into a noodle!”

Hydrangeas are getting colorful this week!

For about half an hour this evening, there were a lot of transformations at the Redden abode, courtesy of some young neighbors. The sisters, ages six and three, raced around our yard, picking wishes (dandelions), finding sticks to use as wands (see above), poking Mr. T and me, inquiring as to T’s garage exploits (oil changing), jumping in piles of bark, and almost-but-not-quite eating the strawberries they just picked from another neighbor’s yard, but hadn’t washed yet.

Oh the energy of the young.

As I watched from the bottom of the driveway where I stood chatting with their mom, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. The exuberant joy, buzzing around, seemed contagious. As we talked through the kid characters from Willy Wonka (Veruca, Violet, Augustus, Mike and Charlie, FYI), I felt so happy that I stopped to chat instead of getting back to my watering.

I’d been interrupted half an hour before that by some wonderful neighborhoods from around the block out walking in the cool spring evening. Former teachers of mine, they relayed neighborhood watch gossip as I showed off the Back 40 and commiserated over water restrictions and houses with tacky landscaping decor.

Although I barely got my tomatoes watered before dark, I’m grateful for an hour spent being neighborly. It’s nice to connect with people and feel part of the community. Le sigh.

xoxo,
shawna