Special Edition Friday: Meet The Neighbors
Today I’ve walked around my little area of apartment homes and taken photos of the gardeners who create our outdoor paradise here.
Yesterday John and I were talking on our respective patios. One of the three maintenance men walked by, looked both ways, and said: “Wow.”
I said: “We’re beautifying our neighborhood.”
Meeting The Neighbors:
First up: Ron and Pat. I’ve written about this couple quite a bit.
I took you into his shipyard where you could see the magnificent ships that he builds.
The Ship Builder And The Painter:
And today I took even more photos of their place. But I’ll show you those on another day.
Barbara lives next door to Ron and Pat.
As you can see, she too loves her patio and gardening. Her daughter is so good about bringing her plants to decorate her patio and yard space.
Here’s John. He’s Boomer’s dad. He was not too crazy about having his photo taken, but I told him I needed to put the faces to the gardeners around here for you.
He loves University of Oklahoma football. We both attended college there.
Ron And Boomer:
Every time John goes out for a walk with Boomer, I’ve told you that he heads right for Ron’s apartment. Because he knows Ron has the dog treat box.
And Ron is crazy about this dog, as you can see.
Obviously, Boomer loves everyone in our little oasis. He keeps coming to my patio door because he remembers I fed him a bit of pecan pie the other day.
Here’s Boomer visiting my patio. He looks to see if Ivy is at the patio doors where he can see her.
I guess you could call them “patio door pals.”
And here’s Marie. She has a lovely garden. It’s fenced as you can see.
I’d like to fence my area someday as well.
First I’ve got to get a pathway out to the sidewalk before I break my neck walking through the monkey grass.
I always take small, careful steps because I worry there might be a hole I can’t see that I might inadvertently step in.
This is just a teaser of her garden. I will have more later.
Steve isn’t home but he refuses to let me take a photo of him. He’s not an ugly troll or anything. He’s a nice-looking man.
But I don’t take photos of people if they don’t want me to.
Such Wonderful Neighbors:
My neighbors are such an eclectic bunch and so talented. There’s Ron and his phenomenal shipyard.
His wife Pat is a painter and their walls are graced with many of her creations.
When I’ve talked more to the other neighbors, I’ll try to get little tidbits about them as well.
So that’s most of the neighbors I know so far. And it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, as Steve is so fond of saying when he answers the phone.
I could not have better neighbors here.
It’s nice to see the faces behind the names and stories we’ve heard about. You’ve landed in a wonderful place, full of like-minded gardeners, pet lovers and happy neighbors!
This is so wonderful, Brenda. For all the aggravation you had to deal with at the other place, it eventually made you move.. to this much better neighborhood. Is this complex what they call “garden apartments”? How lovely to live amongst like minded people in peace.
So pleased you have such wonderful neighbours Brenda.
Such a joy to see you happy and safe! Your surroundings look like a park of flowers and plants. Ability to enjoy not only yours p, but others as well. I think of your former neighbor, so sad she won’t look into moving.
How fun to see pictures of your neighbors and their gardens. So, so happy for you to live in such a pleasant, beautiful and nurturing place now. Certainly a far cry from the previous one. This environment is so much better for your physical and mental health, Brenda. So brave of you to make the scary change and now you are reaping the benefits of your courage! Hope your weekend is peaceful and happy.
Glad you are having a great time as the “New Kid on the Block”. :0) .. So pleasant to have good neighbors. My favorite garden is the fenced one..nice!.. Thanks for sharing..love the doggie, too.
Brenda, this post made me smile from ear to ear. I am so happy for you to have such wonderful, kind neighbors with whom you have so much in common with! Thank you for sharing their lovely faces.
You’re welcome, Elizabeth. They are all special people.
So nice to meet your neighbors and see their lovely outdoor spaces. I’m very happy for you! A much, much better spot to “age in place.”
Your garden space will become an oasis over time. It’s already colorful & welcoming!
Have you thought about a table top fountain for indoors? Sometimes I wear earbuds when listening to music to distract from other sounds.
Have a great weekend enjoying your home sweet home!
Yes, I’ve been thinking about a tabletop fountain for indoors. Thanks for the suggestion.
Wow, what lovely gardener neighbors you have and so glad they are so nice to you!! Tis not the norm these days I think. We have nice neighbors right next to us, but have not met her yet as she is very ill. We visit with him as we can. So happy for you!!
There are a few women I haven’t met because they’ve been ill as well.
Thanks, Brenda! I love having faces to put with names! I just hope there isn’t a test, because I will forget who’s who by tomorrow! 😂
I still forget!
Thank you, Brenda, for introducing us to your neighbors and their gardens. It really is nice to match faces with names – they all have such pleasant and kind faces. And sweet Boomer! I hope that Skippy will settle in well with Steve – maybe a pic of Skippy someday. Love the happiness in your voice.
Mary
Yes, I’ll want a photo of Skippy. And I’ll show him to you when I get it.
Brenda,
I love your new neighborhood. The people, puppy, gardens and you are so happy.
You have a wonderful weekend.
I wanted you to have faces to put with names.
I am so happy for you. You have wonderful neighbors.
I truly do and I’m so grateful!
I’m happy for you too! Thank you so much for taking photos of your wonderful and talented neighbors!
So very happy for you…everyone has such pretty areas…I have been out puttering with my flowers and refreshing humming bird feeders this morning…now in my screened porch enjoying it all..sure helps the mood…have been enjoying your blog this week…so many good things..your neighbors the artists are so talented and love to look at the plants ,flowers,animals and fountains,thanks for what you do💕🦋
I’ve always dreamed of a screened-in porch.
I have been reading your blog for over 11 years. In every place you’ve lived you have created a beautiful cozy abode. So glad you found this place. It seems to be a lovely neighborhood with some wonderful people.
I had doubts about gardening here, due to that rocky yard. But I’ve found ways to garden that have made me happy.
Wow, u move into this little community and now u have wonderful friends/neighbors that u can talk to on a daily basis!
They all have beautiful gardens that u get to see everyday and talent galore!
I’m so happy for u Brenda that u made a better life for yourself and now not have to worry about creepy crawlers like at the other place! Just relaxing and soaking up the sun and conversations with friends!
Have a fantastic weekend with friends and all your blog friends as well!
We can see one another from our patios. Well, Ron and Pat can’t see me on my patio if I’m sitting in a chair because my patio does not face them. But John and I are right across the stone path from one another.
Well hello, lovely neighbors! It’s so nice to meet you all! Thank you for allowing Brenda to share your beautiful gardens, homes, and crafts with us. We love seeing Brenda so happy, and you all are a big part of that. We’re so thankful that she ended up in the perfect neighborhood. Hee hee… Boomer and Ivy. Who knows, maybe they’ll become friends some day. 🐶🐱
I do believe that Steve’s daughter is bringing over one of her cats today to keep him company. His name is Skippy. Maybe Ivy and Skippy will hit it off.
Nice to “meet” your neighbors! They all even LOOK like such nice people. I know I’ve said it before, but you are so lucky/blessed to have moved there. I remember how you used to stay inside by yourself all the time and you said you weren’t a people person because of having Aspbergers, but look at you now! Even through all your physical pain, you just seem much happier. Hope you have a great weekend.
YES, Brenda ~ what Melanie says goes for me too! It is so nice to hear the joy in your ‘voice’!
It was quite different in the old apartment complex than it is here. People are friendly, for one thing. It has a true community feel here. And they make it easy for me somehow.
What a beautiful neighborhood! It is a great step up.
You’re right. It is.
Lovely neighbors and lovely neighborhood! Each of you have special talents and you also have photography to add to yours, in addition to gardening and decorating! I’m getting plant inspiration from you and your neighbors as I figure out my first gardening season here in central Oklahoma. It’s good to see you clearly enjoying your new environment and have outlets to ease your grief over the loss of Gracie, too. Ivy is such a dear!
Having these neighbors has helped in grieving little Gracie. They understand and know what it feels like to lose a pet. But I’ll never stop missing her.
I am so happy about all of this. Friends, flowers 🌺, pets! I believe over time your flower gardens will be better than the last one and I sure have not thought it possible. As you heal coming up your days will be better and better. I watch Bob and Brad on you tube and the therapy type exercises have helped my knee and shoulder impengment so much. Prayers for good health and great weather for flowers!
It’s nice and sunny here today. But I’m taking it easy because I did too much the two previous days before, and need to keep icing my ankle.
It’s nice to put faces on these lovely neighbors of yours who have so warmly and gently steered you into calming contentment after the chaos and uncertainty of your previous residence.
Please tell John he is a good looking guy! Boomer agrees!
I loved meeting the artists, Ron and Pat. Well done, you two!
Marie has created an exceptionally welcoming artistic garden.
Barbara has a kind and friendly face. If I lived there, I’d want to be her friend.
Boomer, though! The neighborhood goodwill ambassador! Who could resist that scrumptious little face and its penchant for sniffing out treats and bites of pie?
Brenda, I join the rest of your readers in joy over your landing in such a lovely little paradise of beauty and friendship!
I asked Steve why he didn’t want me to take a photo of him, and he joked that he was in the witness protection program. Maybe he’s just leery of putting himself online. But I gave him a bit of grief about it.
Thank you, Brenda’s neighbors, for letting us into your lives a little bit. It is so refreshing and also encouraging that so many people love doing the same things most of us (maybe all of us) here enjoy, which is engaging with nature’s beauty and doing our share to bring it to others to enjoy too by putting together beautiful gardens and yards of all kinds, small and large. It doesn’t matter if they’re only a few square feet or half an acre, people who walk by love seeing the beauty and invariably will slow their pace a bit to enjoy and savor the loveliness of nature. Sharing our joy in what we love with others makes for a better world.
It does make a better world. And seeing how much thought these people put into their yards and patios is gratifying.
Nice to meet all of you, and your gardens are beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration, Brenda, to make our small spaces so lovely.
I hope that sharing my neighbor’s gardens gives you inspiration.
Good post. I needed this. I guess I am just overwhelmed with the terrible news all around us. I am trying not to watch t. v. I need to stop clicking on to the news feed also. I do try to make my home and yard my haven. I have shelter, food, and a peaceful place to live. I am good! I can snap myself out of these thoughts pretty quickly thank God. Everyone have a good weekend!
Cindy, I had a conversation with one of my best friends yesterday and she said she stopped watching news and listening to it in 2020, and feels no urge to “tune back in,” so to speak. She, like so many here, loves gardening and has created a beautiful garden sanctuary/have for herself and her family, like so many of us here have done too, whether it be a small space or large. You’re not alone, I think there are millions of us who feel the same way. We carry on, thankful for what we have while sharing what we have with others when we can, in whatever ways we can. It’s a good way to live, I think.
Thank you, Jan. And thank you Brenda for giving us such a pleasant place to check into each day. I do have a positive and grateful attitude. Sometimes we just need one little cute picture or someone to make an uplifting comment to give us the little push we need for a pleasant day. A little kindness goes a long way. And this is that place! Enjoy the day!
I, too, refuse to watch the news! I haven’t watched the news since 2018 – I skim on line first thing in the morning and that’s it. It’s just talking heads trying to outdo each other. I swear the world has tilted on its axis because everything is just plain crazy!
There is such tragedy and devastation going on right now. I choose not to watch any kind of news. I read things online. But I mostly just stream tv shows and movies. Before I moved here I was immersed in all the world’s news. But I’m in my senior years and just want to enjoy it. Though of course, I feel terrible for the people these tragedies are happening to.
Glad you have such wonderful neighbors. Have a great weekend.
You too, Kris! Maybe you’re dining with the family at your nice big table this weekend.
Such a happy post. You have found the right place for you! These are your people. Caring, flower and plant conscious and pet friendly. I am so thrilled for you to stop and smell the roses with a wonderful neighborhood.
There are “roses” to smell everywhere I look.
You have such a nice place to live! Great neighbors and beautiful gardens! So thankful you could move! Blessings to you!!!
I am glad that this complex had the opening when it did. I’m happy here.
Having good neighbors is so important to ones well being. I live in a 1970 neighborhood with wonderful neighbors and I never want to move.
I’m so glad, Charlotte!
This post makes me blissfully happy for you Brenda. Beautiful home, neighbors/friends and neighborhood. You deserve it all.
Thank you for sharing your neighbors with us.
Have a delightful day.
I wanted you to have faces to put with names.