time is short...but also sweet so it works out...

well, this is my last post from the US. I fly next Wednesday to israel. I have it all: my passport, more luggage than i want to contend with a ride from the airport, an apartment to lay down my shite, a key to said apartment. I have run more errands in the last two weeks than i have done in as long as i can remember - in such a compact time that is. I thought I should post some pictures of my house in cuse. i grew up here and it is a truly beautiful place. the work my parents put into the garden is so evident when you walk around. you can sit in the back and watch countless birds come and eat at the dozen or so places set out for them. but if a deer comes god help it cause if it touches my momma's hosta she'll come at it with a vengence. many of you have never been to my home - so here it is. I will give pics and a little explanation for many. no matter how much i at times try to fight it, this will always be home. i have made a lot of homes in my life, it is time to go make another...

time to go spend shabbas chillaxin...peace












this trellis leads up to one of my bedroom windows. its flowers send a sweet smell into my room when they are in bloom. i remember being a small girl and my sister's boyfriend climbing the trellis to speak to her - and then many years later the same thing happening to me...doesn't it look like a fun climb men?:)











i spent endless hours in this creek in my backyard. in the winter we would run in the ice and then run in and warm up when we fell through and soaked our boots. some places are deep and we would swim in the summers. ducks go by from time to time. after it rains i like to go in back and watch it swell...we used to take tubes and float down till we couldn't go anymore...so many memories













looking back through the gate to where the creek runs. i remember the day my father hung that rope for me to swing on...i love that he left it there even after I left.




















this tree has been leaning across the creek for as long as i can remember...to an adult: a branch. to a child: a bridge and endless source of playing



























while beauty is one word you could apply to the house, another is quirky. when a plow knocked down our mailbox in the winter my father jimmy-rigged a stilt i haven't seen since i was pre-pubescent (HOW do they still have these things?:) to the post to support it. it never stays closed and it sways in the breeze. i suppose this isn't funny unless you know my pops, but i think its hilarious













my momma's pride and joy - her giant split leafed hydrangea













a rose from the garden. really, i don't know how to begin to explain how good this flower smells. it is exquisite.













my pops put a bird house in the back and finches made a nest in it. you can't really tell from the pictures but there is a baby finch in their - when i took the pic her mom and pop were flying around chirping frantically...sorry to scare you, little guys.












in the front, right outside one of the windows, my pops put a bird feeder right in one of the trees. the birds love it. all day long there are several gold finches on it. their yellow is enough to make noa swoon, nance.