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Dear Reader,
There used to be a dilapidated house with a unsightly, huge blue tarp covering the roof, on the lot next to my house. A mess to be sure. A mess that attracted mosquitoes, too.
I used to wish for the day the house would be torn down and something beautiful and mosquito-free would be built instead. My wish is finally coming true this very moment.
But now I've learned, first-hand, that it's true, "Be careful what you wish for."
Apparently when you put a wish out there in the universe, you need to be very specific about the details. I realize now that my wish was too general. Because the wish in my mind never had a generator running eleven hours a day, or a radio turned up so loud I can sing along, not missing a note, while I'm sitting at my desk trying to work. My wish never imagined that every tree on the lot next to me would be cut down, which meant no more shade for my flower bed nearby, which meant I had to dig all my plants up and move them. I'm starting to hate my new neighbors and they haven't even moved in yet.
I know I should be acting more adult about the situation, and I do have my moments. But kind of like the house next door, my acceptance of the situation--it's a work in progress. And I'm not the only one in my household who's having trouble adjusting.
Cooper, my Maine Coon cat, tried to run away from the noise the other day, and finally out of desperation he ran right up the chimney in my living room. I didn't realize such a thing was possible. But sure enough, I held a mirror underneath the opening of the chimney, and there was Cooper looking back at me. In an old house like mine, built in 1926, there's a ledge inside the chimney, I never knew about and I'm not quite sure what the purpose was, but Cooper took refuge there for three hours.
When Cooper finally came down the chimney, he was a sooty mess. Thirty minutes later after Cooper was all cleaned up and I was exhausted from giving a cat a bath, the two of us laid down for a little nap. Yes, the generator next door was still rumbling, the pounding and sawing sounds were crystal clear, but Cooper and I had changed our focus. When we diverted our attention to something else, the noise faded into the background. So far, most days our new approach has been working pretty good, but Cooper's assured me, if we falter, not to worry, there's room for two in the chimney.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
* Enter this year's Write a Dear Reader Contest. $600 in cash prizes and you'll have a lot of fun. Get the info: http://tinyurl.com/DRContest2013
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is DEATH OF A HERO by Richard Aldington. Start reading now and enter to win a Penguin totebag. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/July13Classics
AUTHORBUZZ: WELCOME TO LAST CHANCE (Fiction) by Cathleen Armstrong
Let me invite you to stop a while in Last Chance, NM. I think you'll like it here. Life moves a bit more slowly. People are warm, friendly--you might even say a little nosy. But that's just because they care. Lainie Davis was on the run when her old car just up and died, stranding her here. And, if it weren't for those kindly folks trying to help, Last Chance might be the perfect place to hide.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on WELCOME TO LAST CHANCE to read more and to email author Cathleen Armstrong, you'll get a reply.
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