Friday, October 6, 2017

Day 294 CJSM-book IV


Day 294

 

 

631 Giffhorn, Columbia, Illinois

 

 

Our latest address; coming onto 10 years! 2nd  longest habitation-site; 11 years at Maeystown.

Ten years ago my health protested 60 years of “not exactly pristine living” (Hell! If I had known I would live so long, I’d have taken better care of my body!?). The result found us in financial straits, not that I was ever any J. Paul Getty-type, to begin with. Anyway, we landed in an apartment and searched desperately for 2 ½ years for a domicile-residence.

One fine day we were viewing a house; coming out to leave, I spied the home across the street and said, in a vacant sort of wistful-musing, “I sure wish that house was ‘for sale’.”

Well!? Ask---and…ye shall receive! Wow! It came on the market a short time later---Voila!

It is a unique property: brick with a front porch and back patio, large trees, and, an additional lot. I turned this vacant lot into Lady Candice’s Magnolia Garden!

I no longer ride herd on nearly 400-acres of ranch and farmland, but, I reckon our little Piece-of-Paradise sure enough keeps me occupied (somewhat) and out-of-trouble (mostly)?

In the winter, we feed myriad birds and a plethora of squirrels; even get a hawk, sometimes.

In my time I have planted some 10,000+ trees in numerous locations. We did the same with our “garden”-spot setting out various trees, shrubs and myriad flowers. I added a 6’-section of white picket fence with an old-fashioned wire farm-yard gate painted bright yellow surrounded by iron horsehead hitching-post tethers, an old iron black-kettle and roses. The opening leads to the side yard where a large swing on a stand, also bright yellow, awaits the weary traveler.

Our “vegetable” garden blossomed fantastic produce yields for 8 years; each season the crop ripened ready-for-harvest, a marauding horde of “winter-fed” squirrel (pets) raided the field.

This year?---No human (or critter) fodder in the garden mounds…all flowers they dig up!?

Our cottage is quite cozy; Candy works on genealogy and tends flowers and I (try) to write.

Life will take you on a miraculous journey, If you stop interfering---and, simply…follow!

 

Ah! Cookie Jar Sweet “Home! Sweet –home!” Memories!

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