Go Ahead and Lie

It's a truly gorgeous spring here in Central Pennsylvania-- cool, clear, everything blooming at its proper time and in a gratifying manner-- ken ahora as my rabbi friend would say.  I have been off these two weeks and able to fuss lovingly over my front garden and it looks dear, even if my color-conscious fifth grader pointed out that I need to snip 2 red peony flowered tulips that somehow made it among the pink and lavender.  May 6th is the day when I get my 10-12 foot trees.  I have been eyeing my 9' ceilings and realizing how tall that is, although dwarfed by the 60X100 backyard and of course 60,000 sf of nursing home, they won't look so impressive.

My bit of perennial garden with the dogwood about to bloom.

Speaking of which, the nice young fellow from the township delivered my 8 yards of leaf mulch.  By way of being social, he told me how awful the nursing home looked, how rude it was of them to put it that close, and how it didn't even look like it was going to be a nice building.

I much prefer my husband's cousin who pointed out they would be quiet neighbors and it's not like some guy would be back there dismantling his boat.

I don't mind kids or dismantled boats really-- I like to see people living versus existing in their separate and super-tidy little divisions.  (Admittedly when we get to the beer can and neglected dog phase of living, I'm not so into it.)  We decided that we wanted to live in town where our kids could walk to school events and the pizza parlor.  My husband, who doesn't see well enough to drive, can walk to work and his consistory meetings at church.  I can walk around town and enjoy the 19th century buildings-- it's not all squeaky clean subdivisions leading no where in particular.  I wanted my house my way.  I picked every door knob and light fixture, it's beautiful to me, and it works great for family life. But of course a building lot in town is incredibly rare. I took the first one to pop up even though I knew a nursing home was planned for in back of it.  I figured I'd squint and hope for the best.  What I got was not the best, but I'm getting sort of resigned.  More or less.

My nice house.  With water bucket in front.  Spot the nursing home!

Now I have a river of leaf mulch and a raft of good intentions.  It's Friday!  The sun is out!  Spring's here!  In two weeks I'm getting 5 Vanderwolf's Limber Pine, 1 Edith Bogue magnolia, 1 Hoopsi Blue Spruce, 3 Canadian Hemlock, a bunch of Twist and Shout Hydrangeas and some boxwood and azaleas, plus some grading and tree-moving! It's all good.

Ah, there it is!

After all:  It's not that much mulch!
The nursing home isn't so bad!
In  the words of the song-- "Lie to me, I promise I'll believe!"

PS The UPS guy made a point of asking me, "Are you happy about what they're doing behind you?"
Why are you saying that to ME?  How about you say it to the Township, huh?