No Looking Back
As I write this update; the new owners are unpacking their Uhaul. The Hill no longer belongs to us. The past 24 hrs were bittersweet. We arrived home, 3 weeks in Portugal and Spain, knowing the closing was today.
The new owners are moving from Mississippi; completely different growing zone. I made dozens of name tags and prepared a binder with as much information as I could remember. Probably more than anyone wanted to know.
Before we left for Portugal there was a mild balmy day and i was out on The Hill tending gardens. There's a spot where i have an adriondack chair. It's down the slope from the house; where I rest under a Linden tree and listen to the wind coming up from the river canyon. Listening, I could usually hear a change in the weather about 15 mins before it arrived on the hill. I often listened to what i thought were old voices. Sounds a little nutty I know, I thought if i could just concentrate, I know what they told me. It was there in August 2003 when I remembered something funny; i turned to go to the house to call Mom and make her laugh. Then remembered she wouldn't be answering the phone, I couldn't hear her laugh. I sank to the ground. As i lie in the grass, on a perfectly still day; I heard the leaves in the trees above me begin to rustle and i felt a whiff of breeze blow over me. It was as tho I was being touched and comforted all at the same time.
I was working in the same spot one day when I heard the roar of a big jet. Looking up; it was one of the big National Guard cargo planes, just gaining altitude, on it's way to the middle east. I thought of how many young people were on that plane and what a damn mess we've made of things to be putting them in harms way. Again, as I sprawled in the grass; I felt the breeze move over me; giving comfort.
So on that last day, I sat in the grass; looked towards the canyon and waited for the wind; it came and i thanked it.
The new owners are moving from Mississippi; completely different growing zone. I made dozens of name tags and prepared a binder with as much information as I could remember. Probably more than anyone wanted to know.
Before we left for Portugal there was a mild balmy day and i was out on The Hill tending gardens. There's a spot where i have an adriondack chair. It's down the slope from the house; where I rest under a Linden tree and listen to the wind coming up from the river canyon. Listening, I could usually hear a change in the weather about 15 mins before it arrived on the hill. I often listened to what i thought were old voices. Sounds a little nutty I know, I thought if i could just concentrate, I know what they told me. It was there in August 2003 when I remembered something funny; i turned to go to the house to call Mom and make her laugh. Then remembered she wouldn't be answering the phone, I couldn't hear her laugh. I sank to the ground. As i lie in the grass, on a perfectly still day; I heard the leaves in the trees above me begin to rustle and i felt a whiff of breeze blow over me. It was as tho I was being touched and comforted all at the same time.
I was working in the same spot one day when I heard the roar of a big jet. Looking up; it was one of the big National Guard cargo planes, just gaining altitude, on it's way to the middle east. I thought of how many young people were on that plane and what a damn mess we've made of things to be putting them in harms way. Again, as I sprawled in the grass; I felt the breeze move over me; giving comfort.
So on that last day, I sat in the grass; looked towards the canyon and waited for the wind; it came and i thanked it.
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