Conspicuous Consumption

After a few months of quiet on the cove. The jarring noise of chain saws woke me up a couple of weeks ago. The wind had wrecked havoc on the trees in the neighborhood and the workmen buzzed repeatedly throughout the day. But the next day they were back and then the next. The buzzing continued all week. The dump trucks arrived to haul the logs away and the heavy digger arrived to dig up the stumps and roots. Then early last week as I drove down the small road that leads away from the cove I realized that not only were they taking down trees, they were tearing down one of the cottages. I am not sure what this little white cottage had done to deserve this kind of treatment. It looked like a perfectly innocent cottage, never gave me a bit of trouble or worry, but bam! they were knocking it down piece by piece. The huge back hoe arrived late last week to chew away at the rest of the cottage. Now the wooded lot and the house lot are both devoid of trees and house with piles of logs and huge gashes of dirt erupting here and there. Bits of the stone chimney lie on the ground. And here is the stunner. They took down the cottage to build a bigger house. It seems so bizzare to me that someone would tear down a perfectly good house, just to build something bigger. There are people in this country, this state, this county, this TOWN that are homeless. For the most part the homes around here a seaonsal homes. second homes for an upper middle class. Conspicuous consumption; upwardly mobile display of materialistic status?

Now granted I don't know the whole story behind this house. It may have needed to be condemned. I will be watching with a jaded eye as they rebuild. R.I.P. little cottage.

Warmer weather on the cove

I feel like one of the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz when the good witch says, "Come out come out where ever you are." All the people start peeking out of their houses, looking around and beginning to clean up. The weather here today is warm, sky is clear. There is this inner necessity that bursts forth, intent on helping this renewal along with some ambition to rake the lawn, clean off the deck, straighten the garage. I am going to get my 3 season porch set up and ready to use.

Spring never ceases to amaze me with the renewal of life. Green grass sprouts out of the dull beige colored lawn; sprigs of flowers emerge from their winter cacoon. The breeze from the cove brings the smell of salt air.

I have been contemplating forgiveness and lent. Somehow it seems that spring is the time of year to forgive. To cast off. In someway we want to forgive God for giving us the gift of the cold, the damp, the deep snow the isolation of winter. Even though winter enforces a time of self reflection and lent always starts in the coldness and dark of winter. Enough already we say! We need sunlight, warm air. We've stored up enough self-reflection to contemplate the events of HOly Week. We are ready for the resurrection!