LIVING IN AN ALLEY

The first time I looked at the house we now live in, I didn’t even go in. Who would want to live in a house that is at the dead end of a street with nothing but duplexes on it? But it was being offered at such a good price, and the house itself was very roomy. So we went back and checked it out. As soon as we walked in and saw the floor plan, we fell in love with it and soon it was ours.

The street is a strange one. Apparently, it is officially an alley because it cuts down between people’s rather large back yards, and there are houses on one side only. The other side is mostly woods filled with bamboo, a small creek, and all types of trees so that we don’t see the backs of the houses that are there. On the other side of the barrier at the dead end is another street with no outlet, but the houses on that street are worth close to a $1,000,000.

So here we sit, the only non rental property on the street in the middle of a fine neighborhood, close to shopping centers, the interstate, and less than five minutes from the school where the genius teaches. So it seems perfect for us; we feel like we live in the country with all the greenery surrounding us, but we’re in the middle of the city.

But here’s the really interesting thing about living here. We have all sorts of wild life: squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, possums, raccoons, hawks, ducks, coyotes, foxes (both red and brown), and we even saw three deer amble down the street once.

Our little alley is not but a block long, so the fact that that short stretch of wooded area can support so much wild life is amazing to me and very fascinating to all the family, especially Rufus. He perches where he can see out of either a window or the front door and is entertained for hours.