COUNTRY MOUSE CITY MOUSE
I think of my brother Qaptain Qwerty (VL) whenever I see homes with plenty of space, front yard with roomy driveway, backyard offers lot of playground for his son and of course, the luxury of his own garage! I worry about VL that whenever he is unable to park the old van in front of his house or within his own street and has to walk home, especially in the evening when it is raining or snowing (dark and stormy nights). I wonder if VL would be happy living in these homes or he would prefer a more modern home. Would VL appreciate the front porch where he would relax, reading and enjoying a cold drink on a lazy warm summer day? Most of the small towns have high speed internet services, some even with wireless connections, so VL would not feel disconnected to the world wide web. I took the photo below when I saw the red scooter because I thought of my nephew JL and all his toys, the white picket fence compared to the rusted iron fence at VL's house and the roomy garage instead of the narrow aisle VL had to share with his neighbor. I thought of my visit in July of 2000 when my husband worked to remove the rusts, then painted the fence while my Dad tried to help by handing CP the necessary tools. Dad complimented CP being such a handyman and how much we appreciate his help. It was my last visit seeing Dad walking around before being confined to his bed, unable to even take a few steps without feeling tired since the chemotherapy took tolls and he was given only three months to live. 
JL loves train. I would be so happy taking JL on the train rides from Kirkwood to Hermann or just sit on the bench by the river, watch the trains go by as we share a large bag of kettle corn and drink root beer floats. Last Christmas we sent a train set the week before our visit. It was one of my favorite moments watching CP and JL put the train together on the tracks and sharing JL sweet laughters when the train blew its whistle coming out of the tunnel. It is true that having (in my case loving) a child will forever change your life. Whenever I see trains, I automatically think of JL, wishing we did not live so far apart so I could see JL often and all the fun we would have riding the trains, playing in the parks, learning together at the Science Center, taking JL to school, picking him up from different activities and turning JL into a hockey/football fanatic! 
I left New York City when I moved to Michigan, but NYC was never taken of my heart. I love NYC with all its city glamours, East Coast conveniences (like direct international flights or cruise ships leaving from Brooklyn), the subway and most of all, being near my family. If I had to, I could adjust to living in NYC again. But I also have gotten used to living in the Midwest and its spacious surrounding. Driving became the only transportation and having more than a few cars ahead of me is considered traffic jams! While QQ decided on another van to replace the old broken van, my husband is comtemplating what features he would add further to his T-bird (photo above). We never had problems with parking our vehicles, the T-bird is always in the garage, my 6-year old Mazda in the driveway and the 10-year Ford truck (CP winter vehicle) has its place on the street in front of the house. The truck still runs pretty good and handy for carry stuff or when CP does not want to get the T-bird dirty. 
I guess there is a trade off when comparing living places. City has its own convenience and small town has its charm. Everyone feel comfortable and makes the best of where they live. Whether the person lives in a house with neighbors all around (photo above) or in the middle of nowhere (photo below), the people and the love that filled the house would make it a home. For a city mouse that has turned country mouse, I enjoy my current town with all its pluses and minuses. I only wish NYC was an hour drive from St. Louis!
I think of my brother Qaptain Qwerty (VL) whenever I see homes with plenty of space, front yard with roomy driveway, backyard offers lot of playground for his son and of course, the luxury of his own garage! I worry about VL that whenever he is unable to park the old van in front of his house or within his own street and has to walk home, especially in the evening when it is raining or snowing (dark and stormy nights). I wonder if VL would be happy living in these homes or he would prefer a more modern home. Would VL appreciate the front porch where he would relax, reading and enjoying a cold drink on a lazy warm summer day? Most of the small towns have high speed internet services, some even with wireless connections, so VL would not feel disconnected to the world wide web. I took the photo below when I saw the red scooter because I thought of my nephew JL and all his toys, the white picket fence compared to the rusted iron fence at VL's house and the roomy garage instead of the narrow aisle VL had to share with his neighbor. I thought of my visit in July of 2000 when my husband worked to remove the rusts, then painted the fence while my Dad tried to help by handing CP the necessary tools. Dad complimented CP being such a handyman and how much we appreciate his help. It was my last visit seeing Dad walking around before being confined to his bed, unable to even take a few steps without feeling tired since the chemotherapy took tolls and he was given only three months to live. 
JL loves train. I would be so happy taking JL on the train rides from Kirkwood to Hermann or just sit on the bench by the river, watch the trains go by as we share a large bag of kettle corn and drink root beer floats. Last Christmas we sent a train set the week before our visit. It was one of my favorite moments watching CP and JL put the train together on the tracks and sharing JL sweet laughters when the train blew its whistle coming out of the tunnel. It is true that having (in my case loving) a child will forever change your life. Whenever I see trains, I automatically think of JL, wishing we did not live so far apart so I could see JL often and all the fun we would have riding the trains, playing in the parks, learning together at the Science Center, taking JL to school, picking him up from different activities and turning JL into a hockey/football fanatic! 
I left New York City when I moved to Michigan, but NYC was never taken of my heart. I love NYC with all its city glamours, East Coast conveniences (like direct international flights or cruise ships leaving from Brooklyn), the subway and most of all, being near my family. If I had to, I could adjust to living in NYC again. But I also have gotten used to living in the Midwest and its spacious surrounding. Driving became the only transportation and having more than a few cars ahead of me is considered traffic jams! While QQ decided on another van to replace the old broken van, my husband is comtemplating what features he would add further to his T-bird (photo above). We never had problems with parking our vehicles, the T-bird is always in the garage, my 6-year old Mazda in the driveway and the 10-year Ford truck (CP winter vehicle) has its place on the street in front of the house. The truck still runs pretty good and handy for carry stuff or when CP does not want to get the T-bird dirty. 
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