AS TIME GOES BY...

...THINGS CHANGE, AS NOW OBSERVED FROM MY CROW'S NEST HERE ON THE BLOCK. BUT REFERENCES OFTEN LINGER LONG AFTER THE ORIGINS ARE GONE. NAMES OF HOUSES ARE ONE OF THOSE SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES: THE SOOYS', THE GORINS', THE KEMPNERS', AND SO ON. NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE HERE ANYMORE. BUT MANY OTHERS ARE, FROM THE EARLY 1960s AND BEFORE. NEW FAMILIES AND RESIDENTS TRICKLE IN OVER THE YEARS AND OTHERS FILTER OUT, SOMETIMES LITTLE BY LITTLE AND OTHER TIMES WITH PLANNED PRECISION. 

WHAT STAYS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME? THE BLOCKNESS OF THE BLOCK. IT REALLY IS A KIND OF ISLAND, MORE OR LESS SELF CONTAINED. NOT LIKE IT WAS, THOUGH. NO ONE PLAYS KICKBALL OR BASEBALL IN THE STREET ANYMORE, AND THE WHITE SQUARES PAINTED AS BASES ARE EITHER PAVED OVER OR COVERED NIGHT AND DAY BY CARS. AND FORGET ABOUT ONE-FOOT-OFF-THE GUTTER.

ONE MORE TIME

AND THAT'S IT. Guess what I'm writing about? The marriage equity drama being replayed(again)in California. I think we've been married twice before...at least? Well, the first time was Domestic Partners -- still kinda radical. The 2d time was dissolved without our say-so by our native state. So this is 3d time lucky, more or less? If this one doesn't maintain its legality we're going for the shacking up for eternity. It's just too exhausting trying to keep track: Are we married? When were we married? When were we unwillingly un-married? We're too old for this, and too boring, really. So please let us be lumpy old moms who tear up at little things and ask for just a little dignity and a big piece of paper.

Painting the House

The scaffolding is down. From the front of The House. It was a challenging time for the denizens: dodging paint and people when having to take dogs out for their "needs"; negotiating the complex schedule of the painters with Aged Parent; translating English to Spanish for AP because, well, you can imagine. But the painters were lovely & apparently have experience of querulous old people. A stellar example.