What I miss

It seems like this is going to become a Memorial Day tradition for me -- taking care of Dumb and Dumber. The good news is that they seem to have mellowed in the last year and so there was a lot less barking. Well, that's what I thought up until Sunday. Then on Sunday they seemed bent on making up for all that missed barking. At least this time there were no visits from the scary neighbor. In another year, the dogs will be in another home.

My friend's mother passed away right before Memorial Day last year. As an only child, she sold her mother's home in Marin County and used the money to buy another home in Berkeley. The new home is closer to where I live. In fact I could walk there if so inclined. The new home also needs a great deal of work -- something like six to eight months. But they figured this all out. Her husband, who is a fantastic carpenter, quit his job months ago so that he could work on whatever home they purchased. When they move, they will rent out the old house.

My main concern is if the yard at the new house will be as great as the one they have now. I know it will be eventually but by next Memorial Day. They've lived in this house for about fifteen years and enjoy gardening. There is an abundance of flowers. In the summer there are vegetables. Oh, and I spied some strawberries early Sunday morning. This is what I miss. Having a yard. Getting up on a Sunday morning and sitting at the table in the yard, sipping on my tea.

I came to this realization Saturday evening. My friends had offered to stock whatever I wanted but I told them that wouldn't be necessary. I took a container of the jambalaya out of the freezer and brought it over. But what to drink? And then I spied all of the ripe lemons on the tree. There is nothing like fresh lemonade. I believe their tree is a Eureka. Now it would have truly been an experience if it had been a Meyers like the tree at my aunt's house. But fresh lemons are fresh lemons. And the lemonade was wonderful. So wonderful that I managed to drink the whole pitcher Saturday evening. Which of course meant another trip into the yard on Sunday so that I could make another batch.

If it wasn't so out of my price range, I think I would try to rent the house from them when they move. But then I remember all of the things that I'd miss at my current place. Like being able to walk to so many wonderful places. I guess you can't have it both ways.