Secure Our Insecurity

I have been lamenting that the older we get, the fewer new friends we make. My friend Todd told me that we might become more selective. Somehow, it made sense to me. Just cause we are wiser or less stupid?

Anywho, It seems that we just have to accept the fact. The fact would be that we might not make much more friends when we age. Sounds sad. But we just have to live with it.

Since Sammy moved here in January. I had got in contact with several local folks. The very first one is Carole. She is our real estate agent. During this house hunting process, It seems to me that only a one or two dozens houses are for sale at any point and more than a hundred agents fought for even fewer "jewels" among them. Well Carole certainly is one of them in the game. Just a bit of stretch^^. Certainly she knows most of houses in this town. She is very sweet and somehow confused for a second when you call her. She just can not recognize her clients' voice most of the time. We really like her.

Then when Carole was absent, she asked Robin - another agent in her office to help us for the inspection. I met her once before and she helped Carole show houses when Carole was out of town and I was in. Sammy and I just like her a lot. She is very tall and talks plainly. She is just very genuine one for us. She and her husband used to have a bakery called "Big Chimney"(still own and just not open to public). One day, we just wanted to check out and drove by. It happened that she was on the side patio with her family. We stopped and got a chance to have a glance of the inside of this cool old building. Her hunsband is just warm as she is. They wanted us to come over to have a dinner with them sometime. I know that we can be great friends and I think that we will be.

After inspection and having the final contract, we visited this mortgage agent whom was recommended by Carole. Her name is Lisa. We chatted about running in the field, winter or summer, bla bla. I was joking that nobody can afford having a bad name in a small town since everyone knows everyone or else. We like her as well.

Well Brian was the latest person I met. He is an IT director in charge of finance, HR dept in OU. I had a lunch with him to discuss the possibility to work in OU in the future. We had a great conversation and I felt that I forgot to sell myself a bit harder. I would like to work with him.

Yesterday, we were waiting for Carole to unlock the door and let us and our floor guy into our house soon-to-be. Sammy remembered that the owners never lock their front door. We surely opened unlocked door just before Carole got there.

My puzzl, no more. People need to have a sense of security when they make friends. This small town certainly offers just that.

My Inspiring Piece

Sammy certainly did great job to give a frame-by-frame story telling of our day. Great job Gay! Gay is Sammy's old sister. Sammy would un-huh, un-huh ... whatever if Gay was on the other end of phone and gave a frame-by-frame of her day, or hour or minute.

Well, Our gang is a neat antique shop. I just can not believe that I am so much into antique shop now. Sammy has the credit. One piece of China certainly caught my eyes. It is beautiful Brown transfer ware made in Dayton, Ohio. It has this elegant classic quality and certainly works with our mod taste. It makes me wish that I was a China designer. It transcends time and ages.



Chinese invented China. I am very proud of my ascestor. However I feel a sense of shame that Chinese did not carry this culture any more. Besides some Chinese collect antique china as a hobby or showing off. I do not think that Chinese nowdays appreciates this heritage as Westener does. When you are invited to a dinner here in America, you will most likely find that a nice set of china is presented and used for the dinner. It can be passed in generations in the family or collected by your host through years. It does not have to be very expensive. Not only it can be enjoyed among friends but also certainly gives a sense of history. For me, that is a good quality of living. Nowadays, newly riched Chinese rarely invites friends to the house for a dinner as when I was a kid. A fancy restaurant is the way to go. It is sad.

Fine living in China is rediscovering of those lost traditions and treasures.



Besides those pieces of china, we went to this crazy garden nursery called GlassHouseWorks. Certainly it is a place that I call it "harmony in mess". My friend Robin's mom Mary defines that place - Gem can be digged up among mostly junks. Mary is an artist and makes a wonderful cat sculptures. She definitely summed up well of this nursery. Those "junks" are equal to mess instead of real junks. But it is an amazing place to get lost. It is the plant lover's wonderland. We got a list of exotic plants to replace my deceased papaya bonsai as following.
















I can never remember those plant names. And Here they are:

1. Sempervivum Hybrids Mixed
2. Cotomeaster Microphyllus Thymifolius
3. Kalanchoe Prolifera
4. Lampranthus Curvifolius
5. Kalanchoe Houghtonii

Here is my bonsai reincarnation:

Heavenly Peony

It is Spring time once again. I love Spring just as much as I hate it. while a great anticipation waits for re-emerging of all the living creatures, so is the fear of my allergy devil. I just had very nice Spring already in Atlanta. Now I am finding out that I will have another one here in Athens. Somehow, Spring in Athens is a bit behind the one in Atlanta. It is almost June and I am still stuffed up. That does not prevent me from enjoying what this great little town offers.



It is peony heaven. I suddenly realize that gorgeous peony plants are in every corner. And they are so thriving. After all, peony is a plant naturally growing in the north.



It is amazing how much each person can be influenced by his/her background. I grew up in China. However I never saw a single living peony plant in person there since it grows in the north part of Central China(Kafen city in Henan Province - China ancient capital of Tang Dynasty). But it is a symbol of Chinese culture and tradition - an inseparable part of Chinese art forms and unofficial national flower. One of the masterpiece of Chinese play is called "Peony Pavilion".



This flower is just as beautiful in real as in my imagination when I saw it in my yard the very first time. By the way I dug out all my peony root from my Atlanta yard and brought them to Athens. Supposed I should not. oh well.



Sammy and I walked around our neighhood and took some pictures of this incredible flower.

Flower has my imagination

We always made some flower arrangement in our house once a while for a party, a dinner or just in the mode.



Especially, I almost did every week when we tried to sell our house. Somehow, I started to feel the texture, color or form of the magic of flowers.


Certainly our agent and next door neighor Jackson told us how much he loves our creation. I did a couple for him. He was very sweet to have a dinner for us with our friends in the neighorhood before we moved. I made this one with gardenia buds from our yard for the dinner. Sorry, Jack and Jill for otherwise hundred more blossoming gardenias right now. Here it is

Finally in Athens, OH

Sammy and I went to a loan company in town to apply for the mortgage today. We were told that I am still qualified to be a co-borrower for the loan even though I am officially unemployed^^. My limited asset somehow qualifies me for the loan.

It has been a crazy week for us. We had to work hard to be ready for the mover and the house closing. Meanwhile rented a Uhal to move all our plants to Athens ourselves. Among them, the most difficult part was to have BuBu(Bark us Bite us)put down. I was so fraid that Sammy would not be able to see him the very last time. Troty fought very hard and made it. We are missing him very much.

We barely made for the house inspection for our soon-to-be home on Wednesday. It is a charming house. Certainly a lot of work to make it our own. That is always a fun part.

I had a chance to sample some pieces of Athens - walked to Ohio Univ Jazz concert, had a lunch in the village bakery a couple block from the house, visited Donkey coffee shop. The town gives me a sense that life is real. I start to realize that I am able to be part of it instead of feeling lost in the sea of crowd sometimes in Atlanta. But we certainly miss our relatives, friends and old neighors in ATL.

Sister Gets a Free Ride

Trotsky has been sick. After more than a grand so far, we still do not know what is wrong with him. I only can tell he had a tremedous pain to open his mouth. So he was reluctant to swallow food. Then I gave some IAMS' wet food. He ate a few bites and left the rest.

Meanwhile, our cat Eydie Gorme never misses her meal time. She will always let you know by either knocking the glass door or opening the screen door. Somehow for a while, she seemed not interested in her food at all. Well I heard some noise outside late night while I slept with Trotsky under my bed. I realized my little fluffy butt was enjoying trotsky's leftover. Well chased her away since it is dog food. But I felt a sense of guilt.

Now everytime I goes to buy Trotsky's food, I will buy Gorme some wet food. Well no more tuna for her. She surely had a tuna breath When she talked to me. I wish that she could had brushed her teeth even though she only has few teeth left.

Trotsky is doing better and followed me around in the yard. Maybe he knows that he will see Sammy soon

Good Bye My Yard

I know that the days are numbered. I have to say bye to my garden here very soon. It has been ours for the past three years. The garden certainly has had its best after a lot of hard work and very amiable climate. Peonies had its best form. Hostas just show amazing very natural deep colors and texture. Jasimine is blossoming and the smell is just wonderful.

I did not do any packing today. Instead, I mowed grass and trimmed the edges. I guess that it might be the last cutting. And picked up annoying magnolia leave. A little daily routine is thought by Sammy as crazy and obsessive. Keith & Debbie walked by with their daughter Mini. She made fun of me. I know that I should care less now if I am able to. Well it is still mine and I want it looks its best when I hand over. I feel like a mom giving away her daughter to marry a guy. But she is just not certain if that person will treat her daughter well. It is just weird. Why do we attach to things?