When in Home

View from Waxhaw's Rail Bridge: December 2010

I've spent most of my formative years in Waxhaw. Here's a list of things I miss about my home and to an extent, my hometown.

1. The sound of the train whistle as I lie in bed at night
2. The view of the stars on a cold night
3. The open hearth
4. The proximity to a piano
5. My bookshelves
6. Taking the dog on walks
7. Our vegetable garden
8. Getting coffees in Waxhaw's only coffee house
9. The hummingbirds outside the feeder
10. The incessant ongoing projects

glimpse of my book shelf

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a. Even though the train is at least 5 miles from my window, the sound carries shrilly through the still air.
b. My siblings and I often sneak onto the roof or lie in the driveway and point out the constellations, often interrupted by the attention-seeking dog.
c. A real fire is one of the surest pleasures.
d. I can claim no real musical genius: it belongs to my sister.
e. Something I'm not a little proud of: years of collecting beautiful books store my mind's map.
f. On one particular morning, the dog and I found wild grapes.
g. Our head high cornstalks were the object of much laughter among our friends.
h. So many happy memories with many beloved faces.
i. One part sugar and four parts water for the feed: the birds are bright green.
j. In spare moments, I'll help with whatever it is. Most recently, finishing a spare 'oom to become Mitch's 'Man Cave'. Others are building a fence, shed, planting, weeding, reshovelling paths.