Ed finds one more old screen door in back of boards, metal bits and cabinet parts in
the garage-shed. He puts it on Craigslist and within a day he has several
inquiries. Even though the same thing can be bought at Home Depot for $18. And
he provides the link to that website. And then reminds you that he’s selling it for $5.
Ed doesn’t care so much about the $5, he just wants to move the thing out and
put it to good use. Give it away – you might say. No, he'll tell you. Believe it or not, “free”
doesn’t sell as fast as “cheap.”
As I sit on the porch (yes, all day I sit on the porch... I
have work to do and I try, too, to squeeze in some writing), I watch the people
come over to look at the door. The first guy shows up, admires the flowers around the farmhouse
(thank you!) and rejects the door
instantly (don’t know why). But he’s wearing a Madison high school t-shirt and
so I hail him from the porch, being a proud parent of kids who attended that
school. Hey! Do You know Mr. Levine? They loved
Mr. Levine! Retired some while ago. I’ve been with the school for thirteen
years... Well know, my oldest was out of there before you even arrived. That’s
how old I am.
The second buyers come over and say “we’ll take it” even
before they cross the courtyard to give it a good look. (They also say – beautiful place! – and
I’ll remember them for that.)
I think of beauty in the morning, at breakfast, as Ed and I
race each other in counting the number of times humming birds and other birds
stop by the flower bed just in front.
I think of it, too, when I do a quick watering. I have a
few days of hot weather coming up. I don't want to let the flowers down now. Because they're trying so hard. Despite everything, they're trying so hard!
And I think of it in the early evening as I walk to the
mailbox for a late pick up of today’s mail. The moon is out, the air is still
summer warm. The colors are tremendous, though no longer gentle or even fresh. They’re
early fall yellow and deep, dusty green.
Ed’s biking tonight. I turn on the Convention and eat a
fried egg with baked cauliflower. And tomatoes, with Lee’s cucumbers on the side. And sip an
Aperol spritz.
