Changing times

My neighbor has "topped" his beautiful willow tree and it looks hideous. Beyond the terrible sight of raw, exposed, chopped of upper limbs, I am sure the hummingbirds were nesting there because I saw them every morning hanging out on a certain branch. Coming and going. Collecting Japanese Anemone feathery seeds for the their nest. OMG, that just makes me sick to my stomach. Why? Do people top their trees? They don't even have "a view" of Puget Sound from their vantage point to protect.


I was transfixed yesterday, watching 5 or 6 very young kids riding their trikes, bikes with training wheels, scooter. One little guy fell over to the ground, dad ran out and scooped him up in his arms. Giggling, screaming, laughing ... all happening two blocks down. That was our street just 10 or so years ago. Kids darting from house to another, skateboarding, laughing, talking, giggling, riding bikes, challenging each other, yelling "car" when one was coming. I stood there and remembered how lively, fun, exciting, loud, our street was ... not so long ago. The fun has moved two blocks down. Our kids have gone off to college, to work, to their own places, parents selling their homes, older neighbors passing away. Time = Change. But for that moment, I could see our kids having fun on their street and it was comforting to me that it happened here. And I had lived it.


I mentioned to M that I really missed Easter Sunday, egg hunt in the backyard and in the house. He told me not to worry, we would probably get to do those in the future. I am sure he was thinking about having his own kids and experiencing it with them.