Nature Up Close

       We had been hoping to move into our new house this past Saturday, but as literally none of our renovation projects had been completed, we put off our move for a week.
       Still, I spent much of the weekend at the new place, hoping that some worker or another would show and do what had been promised.
       Instead, I had a lot of time to myself. And I spent much of that time looking out the side window – rather than out at the driveway. I knew looking at the driveway would be fruitless, because just as a watched pot never boils, a watched driveway never delivers a handyman. 

       Anyway, while looking out the window, I noticed some lovely things.
       For instance, a large bird – possibly a grouse – walked by. A cute, white-tailed bunny rabbit (a future friend of Olympia, perhaps) meandered under some bushes. A rather large butterfly fluttered by. And I realized that I have Aspen trees growing wild in my yard – with perhaps 10 saplings sprouting here and there. One of them is already around 7 feet tall, and next spring, I’ll transplant it to a location where I can watch its delicate leaves tremor all year long.
       I don’t have the broad mountain view I had in our old home. I won’t be able to watch the sun set over the mountains from the distant comfort of my living room. But it feels like nature is all around me at our new home – pressing against our windows, blowing through the trees, sharing the ground I walk on.
       I think I’m going to like it here.