Ding-Dong

Thursday, February 15, 2023

My new renter, Jan, has begun moving in. Yesterday, she brought her three beloved giant chimes and hung each on different trees. She loves their sounds and understands my mixed feelings about their potential to interrupt this area’s typical quiet. I appreciate that despite my doubts, she dares to bring and hang them. She accepts that their survival in my trees depends on them being reasonably noninvasive.

Although Jan’s enormous chimes might disagreeably impact my neighbors and me, my next-door neighbor, Frank, isn’t among my worries. He’s a good guy, usually unconcerned if my dogs bark noisily or sneak onto his property and steal his dogs’ balls. Besides, Jan says that she and Frank have already become friends.

She is striking a home run with me by volunteering to train Chase, my energetic puppy. Jan is an experienced dog trainer; her breed favorites are Airedale Terriers. I’m learning about her past life, including her stint as a professional photographer for a Tulsa, Oklahoma newspaper. She also has been a licensed aircraft pilot. No doubt, there are more life adventures I’ll learn about.

Next Sunday, the floor installer will be here to finish some details. Finally, a year after I first considered changing my home’s flooring, all’s nearly done. The months have been filled with challenges: moving furniture, breathing dust, and listening to continuous sawing and nailing.

Ah, ahead, new hearing with those chimes that thankfully weren’t hanging during last Monday’s windy blizzard.

Dear Friends: A significant change with the potential to generate much good for us both. Diana