Sunday, October 07, 2007

Fun Monday - the View from Here

Pamela at The Dust Will Wait is hosting this week's Fun Monday! Rather than dusting, she wants us to look outside - through our front door! She writes:

The very first Fun Monday granted us all a view from every front porch. It was winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Not everyone has a front porch. Therefore, the rules will be more flexible for this photograph. (Of course Swampwitch has long ago tied them in pretzel knots with her interpretations.)

Here they are:I want to see what you see on any given morning this week; from somewhere very near where you live. Front porch, back porch, down the street, around the corner. Just makes sure it's your neighborhood. Post a photo that will send me to the travel agent to book a weekend at your local Bed & Breakfast.Post your October View on Monday, October 8 .Write a little or write a lot.

I wasn't doing Fun Monday last October when everyone else peeked out their front doors to see what they could see. So I'm going to do what everyone else did last year. Rather than find somewhere close to home, I stayed close - to my front door.

My front door - from the inside.

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Then, when I step out, and look to my right, I see my front porch. The wreath came out of my trunk when I cleaned out my car. One of these days it will actually make it inside my house. The little plant on the table is a gourd that my son is growing.


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Turning in a circle from right to left, there's the plant the former owner planted for us - and it's still alive! I'm not sure exactly what it is - the flowers look a little like impatients/vinca but the foilage is all wrong. Next is the bed with the pepper plant in it. My son made the stepping stone a couple of years ago. It's beautiful... Like all the acorns? When they fall on the neighbor's roof, they sound like a giant cracking his knuckles over there.

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If you look straight out, you can see our front yard (which slopes down towards the house) with it's green green grass. This is the first house I've owned where the grass actually grows! Directly across the street are neighbors we've never met. I know someone lives there because there are lights on at night and the cars disappear during the day, but you never actually see the people. To the left of them is John and Gen. Gen is John's mother. John is in his mid-fifties. He works as a handy man and is in the garage all day. He smokes and drinks and I have a feeling Mom said you can't do either in the house, so he practically lives in the garage. He's friendly and waves but we don't talk much. Sometimes he'll come knock on the door to talk to my husband but that's about it.

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This little corner of the front bed is very special... The little pot with the daisy in it in front - the daisy is from my grandmother. She gave it to me as a housewarming present when Darling Man and I moved into our first home after we were married (1995). It lived on our front deck, but at the end of the summer, it looked like it had died. It was tossed into the woods, along with every other failed front yard planting. One day, Darling Man and ZBoy were traipsing around out there when they discovered this daisy - still alive! They put it in a pot and it came back to live on the front deck again. It died back every year, but came back in the spring. Grandma died a few years ago, but her daisy still lives and moves with us. I am always thrilled to see it come back. The little bear statue is a birthday present from Darling Man back when I thought I could grow roses. Turns out I can't . And the long, rectangular rock? A souvenier from our honeymoon in North Carolina.

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And what is a post about hearth and home without one of my cats putting in an appearance? This one is Yoda. He's all grown up now! The next photo is of my failed attempt to put a little color near the front door. Last week these were all beautiful yellow, red, and purple mums. Until one day it rained like hell, and the end of the porch roof is right in the middle of the bed. It was like running a pressure washer into the flowers. Mud splattered up and all over them. I tried rinsing them off, but every day it's the same thing. 4pm and the heavens open up. I will have to think of a solution to this... And finally, my mother-in-law's pothos plant. It's grown quite a bit since it moved in. She put the little cardinal in there. I was going to pull it out, but I've grown to like it, so it stayed. And next to it? Those would be Darling Man's wet shoes.
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That's the view from my front door!

30 comments:

theotherbear said...

You have a lovely lawn. I wouldn't worry about putting the wreath inside, it is almost time to put it on the door again :)

Molly said...

You get an A+ for following the Fun Monday instructions. You really did show us out your door. I love the stepping stone and the terra cotta sculpture of children in the same picture.

Anonymous said...

The grass is so green! We tend towards brown around here.

And you posted a cat photo. I love it when people manage to work their cats into their posts!

Beckie said...

The wet shoes are making me laugh! Nice trees!

Anonymous said...

Wow, everything is so green!

Pamela said...

why put the wreath away... seasons just around the corner (just like OBear said)

Yoda does look wise like yoda.

Everything looks so perfect - except the mums. Some of mine were sick, too.

Hootin Anni said...

EXCELLENT!!!!! Great job. I went from my windows for photos. LOL

Jenny, the Bloggess said...

Beautiful *and* meaningful.

katy said...

love the view from your front door, even the wet shoes lol

Anonymous said...

Your grass is so green! Mine is a funky shade of brown.

Anonymous said...

I love the story about the flower, thanks for the pictures!

Sandy said...

I have lawn envy! Your yard is gorgeous and so is the fact that everything has meaning. Good job.

Karina said...

You have a beautifully landscaped front yard! I love your son's little plant...he's probably got a "greener thumb" than me! ;-)

Unknown said...

I love your daisy/grandmother story. That's amazing. And, so special.

Serina Hope said...

I love your views. You have such a pretty yard.

SwampAngel65 said...

I love the story of your daisy...very special. Any your lawn is beautiful and lush. Totally unlike mine!

Anonymous said...

Your home is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for inviting us over. Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Looks just like home! Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

The daisy story is what really makes me smile. Kinda like your grandma wants to make sure you are still happy and doing well...

Anonymous said...

I like the little stepping stone (mosaic stone?) you have in the front.

my4kids said...

I've never been able to keep grass green. One reason I like living in the woods now and we don't have any grass.
Great pictures.

Robinella said...

Our current yard is the only to grow great grass too. I'm almost afraid to move and I love Yoda'a white toe.

ChrisB said...

I think the story about the daisy from your grandmother is lovely. I'm so glad it continues to thrive. My lawn is more weeds than grass. It looks a very peaceful place to live.

Stepping Over the Junk said...

I love the shoes next to the plant!!

Kaytabug said...

Awesome Job! I really liked your post! I should have done the view of my front door as I wasn't around for the first FM!
I LOVE the story about the daisy your Grandma gave you...that is so precious!

Kaytabug said...

Oh darn it I meant to mention that we have a cat named Yoda. They share some of the same markings too!

Anonymous said...

You have a great front yard; it is quite far from the neighbours. Perhaps if you use binoculars you will see people, but I would be careful; they may be hiding, looking at your with binoculars. Too bad about the flowers wrecked by rain. I love the story of your grandmother and the daisy. Thanks for sharing.

Tiggerlane said...

The stepping stone and grandmother's daisy are priceless.

My husband would absolutely ADORE your lawn! He takes great pride and joy in ours....is it St. Augustine grass, by chance. It is LUSH.

And we don't know our across-the-street neighbors, either. Then again, one set we are pretty sure are drug dealers. Another reason we are moving!

kitten said...

Gosh, you have a pretty yard.