Suburban Metaphors

There is no denying it. It is wildly suburban where we are. When I could not sleep I wandered upstairs and looked across the street into the neighbor’s house where, at 2am, the TV was on. And around 730 or so, messy headed teenagers shuffle to the corner just over there to catch the school bus. The neighbors to the west of us pull big cars in and out of their double garage. The nearest supermarket is just a little too far for walking, though we live just off the 22 bus line, so a motivated person could walk to groceries and take the bus back. There’s a four year old and his toys in the neighbor’s garden – we said hi over the fence this morning – and on the corner behind us, a nice gramma type pulled dandelions out of the parking strip but stopped to shake hands and welcome us to the neighborhood. It is absolutely the suburban verge here – the parking strip on the edge of city, the sand on the beach that is just beyond high tide, the bright part of the sky right before the sun pops over the horizon.

But I don’t feel too remorseful. A hardworking contractor lad pulled up the carpets to reveal gorgeous hardwood floors that need nothing more than a good cleaning. We’ve pulled down acres of trim and lace to open the rooms to the broad daylight that reflects off the water just over there – 15 minutes walk from our door. The quiet at night is uncanny and welcome, the quiet of day is still unsettling.

But so far, so good. Yesterday, after crawling around to pull out the last of the staples from the hardwoods, after vacuuming out the vents, after unscrewing paint frozen switch plates and socket covers, after prying out a million tiny nails, we sat in the backyard, basking in the sunshine and drinking coffee. B, the handyman who’s been scraping the old carpet off the kitchen floor (we’re putting in Marmoleum) came out and stood in the sun for a bit. “Man, this yard is going to be so great for you guys come summer BBQ season! I have an extra Weber kettle BBQ, we’re not using it, do you want it?

I’m sure to spend some time hyping up my new hood as I convince myself that this was The Right Thing To Do. However, if what I hear from my new neighbors has any basis in fact, that approach works miracles. They’ve all been here forever. and anyway, how great is this: