When we started there wasn’t much. Hand-me-downs and used furniture were better than the nothing we had. So many odds and ends and things we didn’t really need But it was “Good Enough”.
Nothing went smooth, some pretty rough. Cars breaking down on the way to work and no money to get it fixed. Opportunities we missed cause I couldn’t afford enough gas. But we did “Good Enough”.
Slowly we could save for simple stuff. Little things here and there for a smile – something delicious or pretty. The children got something even when there was nothing to give. And we felt “Good Enough”.
The next decade wasn’t so tough. Most things happened so fast even now I can’t remember it all. Friends come and go while family is always too far away I hope its “Good Enough”.
And in an instant it became insanely clear; Our plans and efforts weren’t Good Enough. At the time when the end of the road is near It turns out nothing we did was “Good Enough”.
When we started there wasn’t much. Hand-me-downs and used furniture were better than the nothing we had. So many odds and ends and things we didn’t really need But it was “Good Enough”.
And in an instant it became insanely clear; Our plans and efforts weren’t Good Enough. At the time when the end of the road is near It turns out nothing we did was “Good Enough”.
When my wife and I purchased our first, and only home about thirty years ago, the adjacent property included irregular strips, pieces, an access road and a very old overgrown field. Over the years we cleared some of the vacant land next to our house. We built fire pits further and further out in the ‘wilderness’. It was mostly brush , grapevine and honeysuckle.
We didn’t use any equipment other than hand tools more sophisticated than pick ax and shovel. Each year we cleared more land to the side of our house of the brush and undergrowth. We had been doing this for a couple of years and noticed a huge tree we had not even seen before. It had towered over everything but through past decades the brush and small trees had provided a path for the insidious grapevine. As it does to anything above ground, the grapevine climbs anything it can and then covers it with a blanket of leaves. Each year the plants and trees try to grow new sprouts and shoots but are caught in a strangle-hold by the vines. Eventually the trees can’t bend down enough and break into pieces and soon die looking like a rounded skeleton. The smaller trees were already dead or damaged beyond hope. We managed to save more than we thought possible and we were determined to save the huge cotton-wood tree that was already entangled in vines spreading through the lower branches.
The neighbors thought we were nuts. Then a company came and bought the land we had cleared of debris and undergrowth and the rest of the surrounding wooded area. Years and years went by and they did nothing with the land. We spoke with the owners and told them that if they ever sell the land we would like to be the first offer. We also mentioned our clearing and using of the property and they were fine with that. We continued.
Over the course of our time here we have purchased all the pieces of what used to be abandoned property. Not much total, but a jig-saw of ‘odds and ends’ surrounding the neighborhood we made it our home! My posts often refer to feeding wildlife animals and birds in our tiny sanctuary. A number of neighbors share in the maintenance and care of this land now.
We have owned all the property pieces for a few years and have been trying to get it surveyed. It took them two years after signing the contract but finally the surveyors came out and tagged all the properties including our original house and land. When I came home from work there were orange flags everywhere along our side of the street and throughout the woods. We even discovered one neighbor’s fence was actually in our yard.
I was so thrilled and for the first time I walked every inch of land knowing what was our property. With that lengthy introduction I want to share a poem I wrote after that walk. Thanks again for your visits, and I hope this will be a great New Year for all!
“The Border” (C) MSK 1-22-2020
Orange flags everywhere but only where We are They disappear through the ages and few Return
Moving, shifting, season upon season upon Buried No concerns no doubting they never change Waiting
I’ve just walked every inch of our border Cut or cured, with muscle and bone We laughed loud and worked harder But we didn’t have to do it alone
Standing for generations before we embraced it Mighty Ruins become playgrounds, wilderness a haven Our home
I’ve just walked every inch of our border Cut or cured, with muscle and bone We laughed loud and worked harder But we didn’t have to do it alone
What’s yours is yours thanks for giving back what Is mine Fires burned, pumpkins were carved by many Good night
Moving, shifting, season upon season upon Buried No concerns no doubting they never change Waiting
My wife and I have a communication problem. Over the years we have managed to keep this from being a marriage problem. I am sure it would have driven other couples crazy.
I have a really bad habit of mixing pro-nouns; names, cities, sports teams. To give you an idea, I would call up my wife and say, “… pick me up at Home Depot when you are done”. She would call and say, “where are you”?
“I am waiting for you outside”, would be my reply. ……… she would then ask if I meant Home Depot or Lowe’s ……. yep. This is where I mess up all the time. I might say it with confidence, but I use the wrong proper name way too often. I am at Lowe’s.
My wife interchanges nouns. She will ask me to hand her the book. After a few seconds she gets impatient and wonders if I am listening to her. Again, but louder, she will ask me to hand her the book. I have scoured the immediate area and see no book. I will ask her if she means the glass and she will say, “that’s what I asked for”.
This does not happen all the time or we would be dead already. But it happens often.
Even though I am very concerned and interested in the political challenges of our time, I do not venture into those topics in this blog. My opinions are my opinions. I have my reasons for voting the way I do. Most of you have your own reasons for your private thoughts.
…….. but today I want to acknowledge the announcement by the Supreme Court. You may not agree with me – butin myhumble opinion that does not make you my enemy – and I am CERTAINLY NOT YOURS!I am not gay so this does not affect me personally, but it has directly affected one of my daughters. What we have done in the past to many great and loving people was just wrong.
I am so thankful and happy this long battle for something so simple and assumed by so many as basic human rights has been decided. There is a much longer battle ahead. Like prejudice and racism, this is not over and is not easy to implement. We still have so far to go, but let us enjoy this major change and how our country continues to move in the right direction and knows it is in our best interest as a nation and as a people to treat every citizen equally.
MidiMike 