Every now and then I get a bug to move to a city. A big ol' city like Chicago or Minneapolis or NYC where I could have a grand (more like closet sized on my budget) apartment with a view of the night lights. A place where we could walk to our local grocer and get things for dinner or meet friends down the block in a cute little cafe where the owners know our names. A walk to the subway or the museums or the trendy shops. A place where I would not spend the better part of a day mowing or weeding or watering and could just walk out on the the patio and tend the pots of lovely things trailing over the rail. I think I could enjoy this life for.....maybe 2 months and then the noise and population and lack of green space would suffocate me. I suppose it's a *grass is greener* thing, except that the grass here in my little corner of the planet is very green already.
If I lived in a city I would miss moments like last night when all the baby toads emerged from the old pond to experience life on dry land. They were so tiny and so eager to get off the lily pads and discover new ground. I wish I would have taken a few pictures. AH has purposely been keeping water in the old pond so the toad babies would have a place to live until old enough to move on. Good timing on their part since excavation for the new pond has resumed.
A city dwelling would not have an abundance of these milkweed plants. Many fuzzy bees were enjoying a morning drink of milkweed nectar this morning when I went out to check on them. These plants are volunteers in an area that used to be a garden space, but too much shade took over and plants needed to be moved. One day we will reclaim this area, but until we do the 5 or 6 milkweed plants are most welcome since in a few weeks the monarch caterpillars will come and make the change to butterflies right here in our yard.
Mrs. Wren has made her home in the tail of our dragonfly again this year. Wrens are funny little birds with big voices and I enjoy watching she and her hubby fly back and forth to the nest area with bugs for the babies which fledged early this week. AH would have been able to get a better picture, but he was not here. You can look right into the tail and see the nest.
Our large amount of land gives up a place to have a garden with plants like these roma tomatoes still dripping from their morning drink.
And the green beans working their way up the poles built just for them. Their leaves begin this almost chartreuse green and then turn to emerald as they get bigger. I say over and over, no once does color like Mother Nature.
And finally, city dwelling would not have space for our glorious pin oak tree that gives such joy to be able to stand beneath and gaze upward. It was planted almost 30 years ago as a little tree and today it is SO tall and majestic offering home and shelter for birds and animals and wonderful shade for us.
I think I'll continue dreaming of urban living while being suitably grateful for the green life I already live.
I'm always learning new things from you. When did you acquire all this knowledge about our planet? You can always rent somewhere in one of the above mentioned cities and stay for a week or two to experience that life and still have your life here. What fun to read your blog this morning and see those wonderful pictures.
Thanks!!
Posted by: Trina | July 03, 2009 at 07:04 AM
I have the opposite of this... I get the urge to totally move away from the city and live on a farm. Sparky points out that I am not a farm person.
Posted by: wenders | July 08, 2009 at 07:41 PM