I have been taking occasional walks through the neighborhoods behind my house, and the residents have FINALLY begun to warm up to me.

    At first, NO ONE spoke, NO ONE made eye contact, and NO ONE acknowledged my presence in any way. After all...everyone knows the REAL walkers do the 'prestigous' Spalding Avenue, or the Lebanon City Park.

    I felt so invisible! And so suspect!

    That is not something I am accustomed to. In my hometown of Loretto, everyone "waved" to everyone else met in passing. That was basic, common courtesy. At least that was the way it was when I left there in 1983 to take up residence in the "big city" of Lebanon. Maybe it's different there now, too...that has been awhile.

    Now, though, on my walks, many of the residents of the neighborhoods behind me DO actually "wave" as I walk by, and a few even come out of their homes to say "hi"----and some even go so far as to make small conversation when they see me! What a breakthrough! It's a miracle!

    At first, it was really weird. It was as though I SUDDENLY became "accepted" to all on those certain back streets of Lebanon; I don't know the dynamics that finally led to said acceptance, other than, perhaps, my frequency in walking and the observance from the residents that nothing bad seemed to happen to them that they could directly attribute to my walking in their vicinity. But the acceptance felt neighborhood-wide and was very sudden and unexpected to me. One day no one makes eye contact with me, and the next day, everyone's coming out of their homes just to wave? There was definitely some major networking going on there, if you ask me.

    Or maybe they just all finally realized I'm harmless and they got used to me. Heck if I know.

    Still, though, some local residents remain resistant to my perigrinations, including the brand new occupants of this dwelling that had been vacant for some time, on the corner of Chandler & College Streets:

HowMuchIsThatDoggieInTheWindowResampled.jpg
I couldn't help but laugh and pause long enough to take this shot when I heard all the commotion from these two fiercely yipping little doggies who were baring their teeth at me just because they noticed me passing by!
     I only hope their cries were merely efforts to "guard" the house, rather than pleas for someone--anyone--to rescue them from what was, at the very least, an obvious window-decorating faux pas. 
    Maybe they, too, will eventually warm up to me.
    We shall see.
    I  normally warm up to the dogs and cats way before I do the people, so I think there is still hope of an amicable relationship with my newest back-street neighbors, despite their fierce looks on our first meeting.
mdm