THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Today is the day to begin to take down the Christmas decorations.  I have often waited until later in the month, but for all my complaining about people who take them down right after Christmas, somehow today feels right.  Somehow, suddenly, the decorations seem too festive in a sad sort of way.  Like Miss Havisham in her wedding gown in Great Expectations.  I may leave some white lights outside on a little tree because I plan to add some pink ones for Easter.

I am sitting here in my home office.  You would be horrified.  Stacks and boxes of papers and things everywhere.  The office and my laundry room are both my nemesis (nemesi?).  I just can't seem to get them organized.  But on a positive note,  I can sit here and type and look out the window at the world going by in my little community.  I see the mailman just came and stuffed some more papers in my mailbox.  The man across the street out walking his dog.  The dog is a trained seeing eye dog who was used by his blind partner, but the dog is now retired and they have a new dog.  Nothing else moving out there.  Everything frozen.  Isn't January the most awful month? 

I left this post to walk my dog and now I am back.  I have a new next door neighbor who, for some reason, seems to think that she should trim my trees.  When she first moved in, I noticed her with those long handled tree cutting shears trimming the branches on one of my large maple trees.  I chalked it up to "odd,"  but today when I came back from walking Beau, there she was trimming the branches from one of my big holly trees.  I said, "You don't really have to trim MY trees."  I said it in a nice tone of voice, but really felt like yelling it at her.  "Oh, do you mind?" she responded.  She then launched into a fifteen minute dissertation on how she loves yard work and "do you like horticulture?" she asked me.  "No, not really."  And I especially don't like pushy neighbors.