Is there anybody else out there who needs to live by a body of water? Long ago I used to leave the bathroom sink half full for my depressed cat who loved the dripping and dipping into water. Besides the old cat and myself, there must be others who crave water’s calming, cheering, and mind-cleansing effects. After decades of living next to ponds, what will happen when I move away to a place where there’s not even a bathtub? Someone please tell me how my obsession with water might then be quelled. By hanging huge photos of the ocean on my new walls? Or by keeping a tiny kiddie pool on the new patio?
Anticipating the move, I’m creating fake seascapes in Photoshop, pasting together images of objects that reflect light. Like the zigzagging running-board of a tractor, metal ductwork, and silvery-painted chiseled wood. Maybe I can make something look like a lake. So I can fool my brain when I no longer have a pond to gaze upon.
Altered Horizons 43
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You’re moving? I had no idea. When and where? I often think I OUGHT to move, but when the snowdrops pop out of the ground, I change my mind. It’s “I’m not going anywhere season for me,” although the house is too large and lots of work. But where else could I find enough milkweed to raise Monarchs?
Oh, Elaine. You’re wondering how you and the monarchs can survive without your supply of milkweed while I’m wondering how I’ll live without being able to view my pond. Actually, I’m giving myself two more summers of ponding before I move to a senior living center in Ithaca. It will take me at least the next two years to convince myself that I can really make the move. I’m spending as much time as I can at the proposed place so I can learn to love it. Taking care of the pond and the land and the house (not to mention the garage apartment) is just getting to be too much for me. Every time something goes wrong I have to call somebody in to help. I spend more money and muscle on my beloved home than on myself. So I’m calling it quits and giving myself lots of time to get used to the idea. Of course, the “I’m not going anywhere season” is here. Hopefully it won’t change my intentions.