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Showing posts with the label land

Feelin' Like Katie Scarlett

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Long ago, I had a conversation with my dad that was a little unusual. He wasn't much for talking about feelings, but what he said often comes to mind when I take my daily walk. John and I had lived in the city for the first few years of our marriage, but once we finished college, we wanted to move "home." My parents had bought property across the road from the family farm to add planting/pasture acreage, and there was an old, half-finished house there we'd played in as kids. We called and asked if they'd sell us the house, and they readily agreed, making us a very sweet deal. That was good, because the house needed work. I was lucky John is so handy, and he was lucky I'm willing to serve as gopher, painter, and fetcher of cold libations. Forty-plus years later we can't say the house is finished, but it's comfortable and we're used to its eccentricities. What I found when we moved to the property was that I couldn't get enough of walkin

We're All Patriots

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One of my kids faced an athlete in high school who was pretty much equal in athletic talent. The rivalry between the two was fierce through all four years, but it happened they both went to the same college after graduation. With common goals and the home town us-versus-them mentality removed, they became friends, finding a lot to like in each other and able to recognize their similarities. The same thing happened to me as a teen. A girl from another town was the sometime date of a guy I also dated on and off. In time we all moved on to other relationships, and once the competition was over, the girl and I found that we really liked each other. Humans, like other creatures, get pretty territorial, which can make us act in bizarre and unhealthy ways. We refuse to admit to any weaknesses on our own part or any strengths on the part of others. We get pushy, bragging about being Number One when there's actually no such thing. Everyone has good and bad traits: every person, team, scho