Hang in there, old girl!

The old girl has survived quite a few changes in the passing years. Beginning with brand spanking new cedar siding and cream city brick, she's been painted and scrubbed and roofed over time. She lived through the lean years when improvements were done piecemeal as the money became available. Slowly, and with much effort, her
accessories began to accumulate.

Grass supplanted clay, a patio overlaid stones, flowers and slender trees began to take root. Little ones played in the grassy backyard, their shouts and giggles welcomed by her. She opened her arms to lots of children, some who stayed and others who just spent some time and passed through. Young adults loved her yard, even more when a tree was felled and a meeting place evolved around a 'stumping'. Somehow, they found welcome standing around a fire in a suburban neighborhood at midnight.

Sometimes the improvements were done out of necessity...others times it was sheer vanity...(like the time that her makeup was retouched carefully because a wedding was about to happen in the family!) One year she even added a 'bustle' in back, hoping that the old gentleman who had newly joined the inhabitants would be able to get out into the sun and fresh air with little effort. She welcomed him and the improvements he brought. The years have been good to her, in the main. The trees have grown tall, shading the sunlit backyard. A circle of bright flowers. and a tree, bursting with blooms, grace the front entrance. The circle is called "Katrina", reminiscent of the time that the youngest son of the house arrived with his precious Sissy and their dog and little else as they fled the hurricane in New Orleans. The house welcomed them and they built the circle in thanksgiving.

But this winter. This cold, harsh, snow-laden winter has revealed deep wrinkles in the old gal. She obviously needs a little 'face lift'! So today, a metal scaffolding graces the front facade. Men in shorts and t-shirts and strong brown arms climb ladders, carrying new 'eyebrows'. The gutters that just couldn't survive the ice storms of the winter of '08 are coming down. They looked so sad, drooping across her weathered face. Hopefully the cosmetic makeover will only enhance her dear old face. Soon the men will take down the scaffolding, pack up their huge white truck and leave her, looking spiffy in her old age. And, as usual, she'll welcome the change.