“Be so busy improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.” ~ Chetan Bhagat
For the last 40 years my parent’s house has been surrounded by thick woods. When the old man who owned the farm attached to the woods died, his children sold it to a young, energetic man eager for change. That’s been several years ago, and the young man has certainly changed the farm. For the most part, it’s been a gorgeous change, too. That change has finally now come to the wooded hill. All but a few of the beautiful trees are gone, which was quite a shock to see when I pulled up yesterday. The view is now squarely on the young man’s other business involving junk vehicles that he’d been keeping on the knob, and which the thick forest shielded from our sight, even in winter. Removing the forest is only the first step in this latest transformation of the young man’s farm. The second step involves building a house for the young man’s mother for which he has already cut a deep gash in the sandstone to support a new road and foundation. Our former forest will soon be her backyard. Change has come to stay on Mortgage Ridge, as mom jokingly called it. “Change” seems to be the theme of 2017 for many. It challenges us to keep a positive perspective. I will be forever grateful for the 40 year Forest; for its beauty, its solitude, its healing silence. And I’m glad that it will provide a home for this young man’s mother. Everyone deserve a beautiful home.
Shirley Terry
You can see the 2 high rows that dad had as his little garden. He planted his green beans and corn there but last year the deer striped the beans and corn. The deer is pretty but oh so destructive in so many ways, even on the roadways. But I thank God for these past 40 years of sheer beauty and solitude.