I'm looking out my window before I head for my computer.
It looks ... different from last year. Maybe it's my mood, new year, new President, not sure where we're heading.
Workers have been demolishing the old nuns residence across the street. It will probably be another parking lot. The tall, wide buildings directly across from us, which were lofts for various businesses, are mostly condos now. Families with kids live there -- 3 in one loft, 2 little ones in another. Their fancily decorated Xmas trees are no longer lit up. The kids aren't up yet. Maybe, now that the holidays are over, they're in nursery schools.
There's already a tree lying at the curb. Soon all the trees will be in the street. After the holidays you can pretend not to notice the branches becoming brown and pine needles on the floor, until you notice pine needles on your kitchen and in the bathroom. Our neat small tree is is already in our hallway, waiting for Phil, our janitor, to dispose of it. We didn't need a tree -- our son JD who lives in LA is doing a show in Hollywood. The folks in the condos will soon elevator their trees downstairs and their trees and ours will rest ignobly on their sides at the curb till the garbage guys arrive, and the dumpsters, which will soon be piled high with red, green, and gold stuff that was purchased to prettify the gifts under the tree.
Golly, I'm glad I gave holiday presents to Phil, and whats-his-name, the parking lot guy who sweeps our curb. I don't know the post office person. The mail lady who replaced our postman, doesn't buzz the buzzer on the TV monitors that protect us now, but if she buzzed I can open the front door for her and say, "Put it on the bench, thanks."
Lately real estate agents buzz, give their names and credentials, expressing interest in buying our building. I quickly say "I'm the owner. I'm very busy right now. It's definitely not for sale,." and turn off the TV monitor, not explaining that the building will be inherited by our son. These agents have our address; they'll write me letters for the waste basket.
Hello 2017!! It'll be Ground Hog Day soon, then Valentine's Day, first day of spring, 4th of July, Halloween, and in a minute it'll be Xmas New Years again.
No doubt about it -- our street will be busier than ever with a new parking lot, and kids -- bet they'll have pets, and playmates, there'll be school buses taking them to school, and more grocery, drugstore, UPS deliveries. I'll learn the names of the delivery guys and get Phil to tell me the parking lot guy's name. Tomorrow, I'll put a note on the mailbox for the mail lady -- "Please buzz buzzer -- when I buzz back tell me your name." Knowing names for the new faces will help make my street, my world, into a familiar neighborhood again.
Hey, things are safer with the TV monitors. Kids growing up will be fun to watch from my window -- next time I see a kid at the window I'll wave. Kids wave back.
When I post my blog, I'll borrow the title of this video.
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