Not all neighbors are created equal. I’m on my neighborhood’s HOA committee that approves of paint/exterior work on the homes. You’d be surprised the squabbles we run into. The latest one occurred between neighboring townhouses, where townhouse 1 has a sunroom whose wall abuts townhouse 2’s deck. Years ago townhome 2’s homeowner brandished a gun …
Gratitude Challenge – NOISE
By Merry Mary Years ago Neil Diamond wrote a song called ‘A beautiful noise’. There are noises that are not so attractive (the buzzer when you get an answer wrong on a game show). There are noises that alert us to get out of the way (police and ambulance sirens). These are noises that indicate life (a deep …
Gratitude Challenge – silence
By Merry Mary I drove to and from the gym today without the radio playing. And it made me think…how much do we appreciate silence? I remember in college I had a roommate who required her tv to be on with static — she couldn’t sleep without the white noise. Some people become so accustomed to background noise …
Dutch Delight – Zaandam and Amsterdam and sadly the end of the cruise
By Merry Mary We left Amsterdam for Zaandam, a sleepy Dutch town. There were two options for tours this morning – either a visit to Zaanse Schans windmills or a tour of a Dutch Dairy Farm. Rick Steves wrote that the Zaanse Schans was bit on the touristy side, so I opted for the Dairy Farm. The farm, …