Strolling

Last night I took Montana for an hour-long walk. Since we have already explored most of our immediate neighborhood I opted to check out the neighborhood on the other side of the main street that divides the two.

It was like stepping onto a movie set. Every house was gorgeous, perfectly maintained, and huge. Every lawn was immaculately landscaped. The streets were silent except for birds chirping. I walked by a house whose owners were clearly throwing a party, judging by the catering van in their driveway and plethora of cars parked outside. As I got closer, I realized that every single car there cost more than a year at a private university. Both sides of the street were crammed with Mercedes, Lexuses, Acuras, BMWs, and Range Rovers. I can only imagine how many carats of diamonds must have been adorning the female guests inside that house.

It was beautiful, especially some of the landscaping arrangements. But it also made me realize that even if we could have afforded a house in a neighborhood like that, I wouldn't have wanted it. It was the kind of neighborhood where I'd be worried to ever let my kids draw with sidewalk chalk, or run half-naked through the sprinklers where other people could see. It was the kind of neighborhood where I could imagine someone coming out and shouting at me for letting my dog poop--even though I always scoop her poop.

Our neighborhood is a bit more of a mixed bag. The houses were all built in the 1960s, and they're all lovely and have lots of potential, but some of them are better maintained than others. Some people have fresh paint and professionally maintained lawns--and others don't. The street has a few potholes, and at the end of it are a few multi-unit rental buildings.

And I like it that way. It's just a bit more eclectic and it feels more natural, more homegrown. I feel like ours is a neighborhood where, if kids played kick-the-can anymore, they could do it in the street and the neighbors would all smile indulgently.

Still, the other neighborhood was definitely breathtaking, and I foresee many more walks there with the dog--and hopefully the husband, once he comes back--in the future.

And speaking of the husband being away, can I just say that I am so impressed with how thoughtful my family and friends are about checking in on me? They know I'm alone and they are calling, emailing, and gchatting constantly to make sure I'm feeling OK and not getting lonely. I almost feel guilty about how good and sweet everyone is being--I mean, it's not like my husband has gone off to war. He's just on a business trip and he'll be back in a few days.

But I do miss him, and I really love feeling like everyone I love is reaching out and taking care of me, even though they all live far away.

Also? Torsten and I have discovered the beauty of Skype video calls for staying in touch while we're apart, and they are great. It is so nice to be able to see his facial expression while we're talking. I feel very lucky to be living in the age of technology.

Tonight, to distract myself, I'm going to get a pedicure, and then I'm having dinner with Rosie. We've been meaning to get together since I moved to town, but I am ashamed to say that it took almost four months and a week of being alone to get me to actually nail down concrete plans with her. But hey, better late than never, and I am super excited. It's going to be great.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!