I was just reading a blog by our very own ColdinWisconsin that brought so many memories flooding back of the best times of my life...
I can remember sitting outside in my backyard on the grass surrounded by pigeons and doves ..probably about 30+ of them all cooing and pecking and eating the stale bread I had strewn about me.. just sitting there enjoying watching the birds preen and court and strut during mating season.. and yeah I saw my first bird sex right there kinda up close and personal like...I was about maybe 7 or so but I would go out there about once a week just to sit and watch the birds.. I had a special one that would sit on my windowsill and tap in the AM till I got up to give him something to eat he came around for years ..and always my mother would tsk tsk me for playing with those dirty birds...but yanno what in all that time not once did I get shit on...amazing huh?? I guess the shittin on me was being saved for later in life haha... I also remember having to walk over to the SHED as they called it to check out gardening tools to take care of our lawn... ya see I lived in the Projects growing up and they had been military housing at one point so they were fairly nice .. wood floors upstairs and asbestos tile on the first floor but each had its own little shed and yard that we were responsible for and if it wasn't kept up they would fine you.. so there I would go... across the street that ran though the large complex to the other side (scary thing here let me tell you ) and go to the SHED to see Uncle Bill the groundskeeper and check out a rake or a hand rolling edger or a push mower and hedge clippers then go do our lawns.. seeing as we lived on the end apt we had three... a front a side and a back so it was a pretty big job .. but my mom was not in the best of health so I did a lot of stuff that grown ups would normally do...then after mowing edging and raking and clipping the hedges that lined the front and sides under the apt windows and puttin it all in the trash I would take everything back and get back our little TAG with our unit number on it..I remember Uncle Bill (he was an older black man who was kinda as the day is long and the hardest working man I had seen) many times as he would tend to the other lawns or clean up after the trash pickup (which was in the parking lot by our apt) he would whisk by and cut our grass for free or run the gas edger over it .. just because ... he was one of the sweetest men I have ever known ..Always a "Mornin Maam or Miss " and a big smile on his face ... I asked him why he did that for us and he said "Well I know your Momma aint feeling too good and you need to get your homework done so I just thought I would help out" and off he would go with a smile. When he finally retired I felt a great loss .. that kind soul was no longer around and you could tell.. the other groundskeepers were not so good and the place promptly went to shit .. Never when Uncle Bill was the head honcho would you see trash strewn or an unkempt lawn he took pride in his work.. After he left I still would tend to our lawn and sit out with the birds and remember him fondly ... and today I was showing my son in law how to run a lawn mower and how to work a weedwhacker etc.. since he never had to do this living in an apt his entire life and I thought of Uncle Bill and him showing me how to use the edger and the mower the first time I used them.. Nowadays I still put food out for the birds and tend my own yard.. (when the boy is too busy ) but I miss sitting with the birds all around and the calm that was there ...I think maybe the calm left with Uncle Bill...His demeanor was one of calm sweet goodness...and I know he has prolly long since passed on but he will always be remembered by me ...
there are so many memories flooding back I may have to make this part 1 of many ...
thanks for reading my blog
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| The times of our lives... |
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