Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Ten on Tuesday: A City Mouse speaks..........

Joining up with Carole at Ten on Tuesday.
Why I like visiting (or in my case, living) in the City



I am pretty new to blog reading.  I have three blogs that I really like to read.  All are written by home school moms and all are pretty genuine.  But it is quite interesting that they are my favorites.  One of them is from the suburbs and two are from the country.  I began finding myself scrolling down these blogs at first with absolute fascination.........shearing their own sheep, dying their own wool, spinning and combing this wool and knitting whole sweaters and hats....growing their own vegetables, gathering eggs, making their own LAUNDRY SOAP, branding cattle........and then from somewhere deep inside  me a wail begins to  surface.....I AM A FAILURE AS A HOME SCHOOL MOM.  We do NONE of these things.  And the massive bottle of Tide Laundry Soap seems to scoff at me from the shelf,"It's true, you are soooo boring!!!!!!!!!!!"
And then calm, oldest child reminds me how unboring we really are.  He recalls to mind the many reasons why we like living in the urbs, as opposed to the sub-urbs (see that Latin at work!).  Then I started thinking about all the reasons why I love bringing up kids in the city.  So many words come to mind when I think of the city:   



1.  Sidewalks, actual sidewalks, that are buckling up because the roots from old, incredible trees are pushing them from underneath.








 2.   Alleys!  With dumpsters and basketball nets on garages.   Trees of every kind that have been growing forever and are so high they form an arch with the trees across the street to keep us cool in the summer.



                Alleys make great venues for garage band CD cover photos 




3.   Police cars, firetrucks racing by are daily occurances.We don't even need to take field trips to see them! ..come to think of it, oldest child's first word was CAR.   He would sit at the front window of our apartment and yell it out as each car went by.  We witnessed right outside our very window at 2:00 am on the dot, two Saturdays in a row, the sad and slow business of Elizabeth breaking up with Derrick.  She even laid across his car and pleaded for him not to break up with her.   I couldn't ever make this up......It was like live television!  Then there was the time our friend from the very posh part of the suburbs came down to our house.  She leaned on the fence of our back yard and the dog next door jumped and ripped her shirt.  His owner, a portly fellow with no shirt on, said quite naturally and good naturedly, "He's really friendly!" I was MORTIFIED at this quite pungent offering of "local flavor" but thankfully for him, she had a good sense of humor. 


4. We had a house next door that was being rehabbed right before our very eyes by a wonderful man who let my kids come over and watch him work.  He even brought his daughters to work with him so they could play with our kids.  

5. And BO FUNG Chinese take out.  Oh, the raptures we could all fall into when speaking of their Crab Rangoon.  And the owners are actually Chinese and speak Chinese!!  

6. The sound of old screen doors banging, every house a different shape and size.  Brick everywhere!!!






 7.  Stained glass windows and built in bookcases in even the cheapest apartment. 


8. Rolling green parks with big, old fashioned gazebos. Kids speaking every imaginable language while playing together at the playground.



















9. The old farmer's market where wonderful Hungarian Grandmas are selling incredible pastries and my friend sells her homemade soap.   

10.Lots of amazing Catholic Churches with fun old couples walking to Mass, who could tell you a lot about how the old neighborhood used to be.  Everything is old and has a history.  It connects my kids daily to things that are old, things that last, to people who are all different but getting along.  It is said best by a friend of oldest child from college when he found out he lived in the actual city limits.  "Hey, congratulations on living IN a city!" 


     So, really, this truly is a "bloom where you are planted" kind of revelation for me.  I will continue to sit peacefully scrolling down on my country blogs ohhing and ahhing over the amazing colors of dyed wool and the knitting and the cattle feeding, knowing that those moms are happily fulfilling God's will for them and loving where they are and what they do.   But I will also know that this is where we are supposed to be living and loving - right here in the city limits!













7 comments:

  1. I've been smiling so hard while reading this post (I am a country bumpkin)! It's wonderful that you looked at the sights and sites you take for granted through fresh eyes. Great post!

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    1. Let's hear it for country bumpkins and city mice!!!

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  2. I lived in Boston for quite a while when I was a teenager. I loved it!! One of my very favorite things about blogging is that I get to visit the most interesting places. I get to know all about them on such a personal level...and I never even have to leave my own beautiful home.

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    1. Boston is a city I would LOVE to see some day. Thanks for visiting me today!!

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  3. I love this post! We lived in town up until a year and a half ago. I'm a country mouse at heart but I love the culture on your doorstep, late night eateries, ethnic foods, diversity, languages and vibrancy of city living. there is always something to do and something to see. Cities are a melting pot of humanity. Children who grow up in cities have a classroom right on their doorstep!

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    1. Well said! It really is a classroom in every way!

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