We have a hill in our backyard. It has multiple layers to it, that separate the neighbors on the top of the hill, and ourselves. We cut out a nice lil sanctuary on our levels.
On the 3rd level and hammock that sways in the summer breeze. The sunlight dripping down between fresh green leaves, reborn from their winter sleep. The 2nd level was classed up a couple years ago, as I laid down a make-shift patio out of 73 pavers (I remember the number cuz I had to carry them ALL up the stairs). They made a nice base for a couple of Adirondack chairs, by design, force you to lean back and enjoy the few months of sunny weather we have here in upstate NY.
The final level is our actual backyard. A small patch of grass and a slate patio for entertaining and BBQ-ing. My girl may not have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but she was born with a blooming, green thumb. Our yard is usually an explosion of color and fragrance. I love to sit and look at the hanging baskets and bursting flower pots, a wayward tiki peeking from them, and the sound of our bamboo fountain.
Our sanctuary is usually hidden by giant trees, standing watch and draping us with their full branches. Like crazy green, thick wigs, blocking out the neighbors above. This year the trees were confused with our late cold snap and lo....have yet to don their hair and block our view of the shittious, dilapidated, crap shack at the top of the hill.
The neighbors, who I have taken to calling "The Bumpasses", spent all of last summer, not trying to improve their homestead, nor trying to fix the back porch of the house that looked like it was falling off, nor try and actually match the siding which seemed to stop halfway around the house...alas...no. They spent last summer trying to erect a 50 foot radio antenna to the back porch roof!
Once there, it clung to the roof, a bit crooked, through the hard winter, winds and all. Till sometime in March, when the weight of it, finally took off the roof to the back porch! The Bumpasses didn't fix the roof...oh no. That was dragged to the edge of the property, where we can just see the peak of the roof and a few strips of green siding (the old siding...not the newer stuff). Their effort was put into re-erecting the antenna, that was so tall it probably tickled God's ass, into the nearby trees.
I almost missed it among the tall growing trees...if it wasn't for the fact the leaves weren't in yet and the white, ginormous poll stuck out like a sore thumb.
Just last weekend, the Bumpassess stood, staring at the tree where their antenna hung. Laura and I sat, wishing for leaves and trying to guess what the hell radio frequency they got on that thing. I'm sure the signals were making them crazy, as their roof still laid, two months now, in the back yard.
"They are going to work on that antenna", I said to Laura.
"Nooooooo....why would they do that when half their house is in the back yard."
Just then, Mrs. Bumpass shimmyed up a tree, socket wrench between her teeth, and loosened to bolt that held the antenna to the stand mounted on a tree. Mr. Bumpass, dropped the antenna to the ground, as Mrs. Bumpass got out of her tree and started to coil a cable that was laying on the ground.
THEY WERE LEAVING!! The house had been condemned and they were packing up their precious antenna, which we were sure now was sending radio signals to Al Queeda, and probably taking nothing else with them.
It brought joy to our hearts! Someone would come in, clean up and take that eye sore from the top of our sanctuary!!
"Wait....she's climbing in the tree again," Laura said.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Sure enough....Mr. Bumpass, struggling with the antenna, got it back on the base and Mrs. Bumpass clamped it down.
Crestfallen, we just assumed they had to change the cable out. Maybe the roof fell on it and cut out their communications.
We settled back into our seats, on our patio, in our exposed sanctuary....and prayed for leaves. I wonder, if we had prayed with the power of that antenna....if Mother Nature would have heard us sooner?
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