I think we've come to the end of the well wishing neighbors who welcome you into their neighborhood. I assume that the rest don't care that we're here or were not "welcomed in" when they arrived.
Our first contact on the street was a nice senior resident who used to be the shop teacher up at the school but is now retired. His name is Tim. He was a man who you could tell had been around loud machinery for a long time. When I said hello and introduced myself he leaned in to hear, and I then upped my volume.
Him and his wife are ajacent to us on the street. He informed me of some history of our home. That the pricipal of the school (olden days) used to live here and offered a welcome to his home where he lived with his wife.
Our next guests were our next door neighbours. They own the other part of the lot and home that used to be together at one time and was seperated in 1876. They were about middle age or so and very warm. It helped that they came bearing gifts of cookies. How could you not like people bringing homemade cookies!
They informed us they had a shikzu and that the tree in the back was both of ours. Very friendly.
They also informed us of a strange old lady across the street who was often very nosy and may even venture into your backyard. I assumed they weren't quite serious about that last part but maybe had had an incident with her at some time on that topic.
Lastly. The strange old lady from across the street dropped in. Immedietly I knew they were not joking about her nosyness because she stepped her way into the door by being a close talker and then asking if she could just come in a moment, while stepping in the front door.
She proceeded to say her name (which I can't remember) because she was also busy rubber necking around the corners of our home where she could see from our front door. It was amazing that she didn't find this rude to do at all.
In the end after a minute or two I excused her out the door again with the reason that my son was napping and it sounded like he was up. That I needed to tend to him. Perhaps another time we could meet and say hello.
"sure" she said, and went on her way.
As I sat tonight in my reading chair at the end of the hall I looked out the window at all the homes. I'm not used to living so close to others. I forgot what it was like to see other peoples lives as they see yours day in and day out. From front porch to front porch. Back yard to back yard. All connected. All different types of people.
'It is through accepting other people in our own countries that we shall come to respect our neighbors and be respected in our turn. " Tahar Ben Jelloun
Our new home in town. We have lived in the country for over 5 years now, long even. But now have taken up residence here. This home and the neighbours used to be connected and were seperated back in 1876, pulled off their foundation and moved back from the road. Just a little history for you :)
still has the old switches (but new wiring thankfully:) )
A little messy still but I'm slowly getting through the boxes. This is our dinning/living/sitting room. AKA: our food and conversation room.
Got the tree up. Yay!
yeah, this candle chandalier was in the deal.
again...ready for Christmas. I have the plaid, Caleb has bob the builder and Tim has the tacky red and green thing.
the whole house has cool fixtures.
again messy. But if I wait till its clean it will be months till I post pics. :) I'm really doing this for your benefit more than mine. lol
the other side of the kitchen.
our backyard. Yep, i have laundry on the line. Our dryer isn't vented yet.
our sweet sweet bathroom!
lovin the tub and the shower ain't too bad either
This is the upcoming baby's room. Its messy cause its full of all that baby stuff! But lots of storage once I get to sorting it all.
my sitting reading place at the end of the upstairs hall. Also a good place to wait to see if Caleb is down for his nap or not.
I love mornings like this. Its the start to a great day. surrounded by his stuffed toys, dog and giraffe (we should really name them. I think they may be with us for a while).
He watches his cartoons and has his milk.
I get some clothes on him, cover him all back up and he veg'es.
Ah relaxed. My kind of morning. He even let me sleep in till 8:30am. Sweet!
Stuck indoors I cozy up with my hot chocolate and cabin fevered child. He is appeased with clemintine slices and I'll feed him as many as he wants. His snotty nose is screaming...Vitamin C!!!
Veggie Tales playes...and playes..and playes..and I think about all the videos I'm going to get him for Christmas that are not Veggie tales.
I bring my ball of tender joy outside to enjoy the winter day. He cries. I give him a moment and start to shovel off the walkway. He falls and cries some more because he is like a blue and red marshmellow man in his snowsuit and can't get up. I pick him up.
For a moment he seems to enjoy the fresh air and travels away from the door as a rugged adventureist and I can see my eagerness in him to venture across the land. Then he falls face first in the snow. As I pick him up I can again see myself in him. I see me as a small child, marshmellowed in clothing to the point I can't even brush off the cold slush now melting my face. Crying.
Poor boy. Inside we go.
The next day comes...today. Snow again .. acting like snow...falling.
We venture out to the grocery store for weekly sales. I never had such a good boy at the store. So happy he was just to be out and about. He held my hand as we walked along and didn't cry once. Who knew that cabin fever to a child could have such great result when we finally get out.
As I sat at the library watching my boy play around I sat beside two women who I had seen in their before. Also across the room I was aware that children from the home my husband and I just bought were playing. They, nor their nanny, knew that I was their home buyer. The women beside me talked about the children across the room, their clothes ect... (cute kids)...and then it came how they were moving soon. Woman 1: Yeah their moving Dec. 17th Woman 2: Where to? Woman1: Over Kincardine way. Their house is all new and ready to be moved into.
Woman2: Really.....do you know who is moving in there? Woman1: Well I do know that is supposidly somebody who has a 15month old and is due in February with her second. Woman2: *chuckles* well she'll certinley have her hands full! Woman1: oh yeah.
Then they looked over at me and I smiled at them and continued looking around like I was not interested in their conversation. A few minutes later woman 2 says to me: "so how old is your little one there?" me: 16 months woman2: oh yeah....
Some more time passes....not sure if she made the connection.
woman 2: so when are you due me: february. Inside I laughed
I had the priviladge of listening to 3 speakers in London the other day. One was the 3 time Olympic Gold Medallist (Canada Women's Hockey Captain), Hayley Wickenheiser.
Best of Olympics - Day 14 (taken from www.zimbio.com)
Also Darci Lang who is an award winning entrepreneur and motivational speaker.
And Finally we heard Robert Herjavec, who is an Investor and part of CBC's Dragon's Den.
All great speakers with stories of their lives and how they came into success of either money or championship. They all spoke favourably of how they were just normal people who have families.
However, on the inside I was torn between what was taught. "be positive, work hard, get up earlier,strive, drive yourself."
Somehow none of this is plastered to my inside wall of goals in life. Not that its not important not to be lazy or work hard or not sleep in or have goals. That's not what I'm talking about. However, for example, the quote at the end of the description of Robert's page is "...Robert's presentation will inspire you and prove that with perseverance, determination and hard work, anything can be accomplished."
That's nice I'm sure. But how many times do they tell people on Dragon's Den. ' Hey, what your doing will never sell and your better off to cut your losses and move on'.
Over all I really enjoyed Robert's talk the most. He was very positive and almost like a kid in a grown man's body. He really didn't match the money he had made by his story.
Darci was also very down to earth. Great speaker. Still had some of that motivational pizas that I tend to veer away from. Nevertheless she put points forward about how making all that money doesn't account for much if you don't put your family first in your life. Who are you working for if not to spend more time with the ones you love.
And finally, Hayley, who I least related to. Her goals were high and sharp. They left no room for family or ties. She commented on being just a normal person doing her own laundry after the olympics. But a very lonely story to reach the top.
Who are we though at the end of the day? Does money give us "worth". God says we should measure a man's worth by his relationships and how he treats others. How he serves God. Not by his net worth or what he has aquired.
Money can not bring you happiness but it does make misery much more comfortable.
Love, joy, peace,patience,thankfulness, and self control all come from God. And you don't have enough money to buy them. So He gives it freely to those who will follow Him.
I think we've come to the end of the well wishing neighbors who welcome you into their neighborhood. I assume that the rest don't care that we're here or were not "welcomed in" when they arrived.
