To Whom It May Concern

<sub>"Al and Mae" by Judith Wigren-Slack from learning to love you more

I hope you grow to love the house at 845 Mudville Drive as much as I have. I wanted to leave you with a few of the idiosyncrasies of the neighborhood, the house, the yard, and just random bits of information I have culled over the years. Inside this envelope, you will find a postcard for the guy who painted the mural on the steps and side door. He was really cool and lives nearby. He has been known to wear a pink cowboy hat on more festive occasions. You will also find some pictures the previous owner left me of the remodel downstairs. Those I am afraid are not terribly exciting but they now belong to you. In addition I leave you with some literature: the manual for the sump pump in the downstairs bathroom and possibly a manual for the washing machine, although, it could be the manual for the previous washing machine. Finally, I include the electrician's grid of the electrical circuits, a scrap of paper that I have never really been able to make sense of.

The neighbors: The ones on your right are a great, really big Nigerian family. The father’s name is George. The children's names are Mercy, Grace, Kindness, and Precious. The father knows a lot about gardening and has a wonderful vegetable garden come summer. The kids will throw many things over into your yard and knock sheepishly at the door to retrieve them. Invite them in! They are extra curious and equally courteous. In the adjacent apartment building on the other side, the occupants are quirky but well meaning. You might hear them early in the morning, yelling from their door to the person honking their horn in the street. One of the tenants, a woman whose name I believe is Kiki, will have a modest garage sale every Sunday come summer. She will sell very little. You can be sure however, that if you ever want to get rid of any stuff, there will be plenty of takers on the block.

Across the street lives a family of brothers who bought their house in the last year or so. Don't park in their driveway even if it looks like, and in fact is, a non-functioning driveway. They are cool other than that. They plan on raising the house and doing a lot of work as soon as their permits come in. Of course, they've been saying that for a few years now. On that same side of the street, the owner of the two Rolls Royces is the same owner of the three identical white houses with the identical rose bushes. He also owns the truck full of crap that you will often find parked in front of your house. He remains a mystery to me, but he knows everyone and will let you know how he almost bought your house a few years ago for a dime, but for some reason didn't. The kids on the street are really great. You’ll see them when the weather warms. Sit on the porch or work on the front yard and you’ll meet all the neighbors, one by one.

The house: Many of the windows don't open. I've made multiple attempts and valiant efforts at unsticking them, but they do tend to settle during the winter months. Sorry. Both bedrooms face the neighboring apartment building, giving them a fishbowl feel. I suggest curtains. My favorite place has always been the dining room. It's a small room, but cheery. A little table by the window is really all you need. The stoop, of course, is another great place to hang out, even if you don't smoke. Grab a treat from the ice-cream truck or just catch up on the latest R & B hits as the cars roll by. Three o'clock, when the schools let out, is another fine time to find yourself outside.

The backyard: The climbing vine, the first thing you see as you exit the back door, is a trumpet vine. It grows quickly. Watch out. There are two jasmine bushes that really should be better trained. There are about five or six wild strawberry plants near the rosemary, but the rosemary might be crowding them out. You might get a total of a dozen strawberries per year--and that's if the birds don't get them first--but sweet they will be. Every year, a wild artichoke plant comes up in the far right vegetable planter. It never ceases to surprise me. You might see also see some wild tomato plants. If you do, consider yourselves lucky. California poppies and cosmos usually turn up throughout the yard, as will one single Echinacea flower smack dab in the middle. The lavender towards the front is getting pretty woody and is probably ready to be pulled. Beware of the river plant on the left fence towards the back. That thing will grow like crazy and I have tried unsuccessfully many times to uproot it. Good luck!

That's all I can think of. May my ex-home bring you as much joy as my all of my other exes. There just comes a time--no matter how sweet the journey--when it's best to let go.

Casey</sub>