The Neighborhood

Headed outside via the back porch early this morning.

I just had to see the roses some more while I sipped some Joe.

Ran into this sweetheart, a pair of them have been  hanging out back here. I need to spot the nest. 

First bud on the rose bush from my dearest son.

 First bush to bloom each year right 

after the banks roses.

A riot of color

Aggressive little bugger. See it reaching up to 

embrace the mesquite tree in the middle of the yard?

That will be clipped, 

but I cannot bear to until the blooms are past.

The trumpet vine woke up yesterday.

Another faithful performer.

This lady lasts all summer and drapes over the wall to a walkway.

The association gardeners slice off everything on their 

side of the wall.

Idiots

These have been on the outside porch table since September?

Wish I looked that good that long...

I cannot help it.

 I love the light on this porch.

 I have recently met some wonderful new folks

 in the blogging neighborhood, 

new to me, not to blogging,

 and I was talking about it with my friend Chania.

( A brand new Grandma as of this morning)

We discuss just about everything, like old friends do, and in the course of the back and forth emails I wrote this to Chania..

"I view it as a neighborhood. There are those that come in for coffee and stay all morning, and feed the dogs while you are away..then there are the ones you see at the mailbox now and again and you both ask about the kids at college and comment on the blight affecting the ash trees in the area and after 15 minutes you wave and go home. Then there are the neighbors you see watering their lawn as you walk the dog and you nod and say good morning and wave at each other's cars as you leave for work. Then there are the neighbors in their car who slowly drive down the street, open the garage door before even turning into their driveway, pull into the garage and begin closing the overhead without even exiting their car. The ones in the neighborhood no one knows...Hey I think there is a blog post in that last paragraph...lol maybe this weekend.."

I often get emails from new bloggers and just as often they bring up trying to grow their blog etc and I always refer them to 

"big" bloggers with the same goals as they have.

I still have this post from October 2010

on my sidebar, explaining my decisions about blogging.

Yes, my numbers have grown since then,

but my attitude remains the same.

Those of you that have known me for awhile

 know where I stand on this, my goal has always been, not in the numbers etc but on the relationships, friendships that have flourished here and truly, I mean this from the bottom of my heart,

ENRICHED my life.

We are a neighborhood with various tastes, wants, desires and needs. There is room for everyone.

Now and again someone crosses your path

and WHAM you connect, and it is magic how 

the friendship unfolds.

That does not negate or lessen the relationships

that are more casual, just as friendly, just as lovely.

They are all precious gifts.

Who wants a neighborhood where 

they're all made out of ticky tacky

 and they all look just the same?

Have a great week.

Z