Good Fences Make Good Neighbors . . .

When Robert Frost wrote the poem "Mending Wall," it was more about stone walls in Vermont that separate plots of land, but every time I walk along the winding streets of Fairfax, California, and see these fences, Frost's words "Good fences make good neighbors" which are repeated three times inside the poem comes to mind. Fences, gates, doors are for privacy—something we all need. And yet we want to be friendly about our boundaries, too. Keep them inviting but strong enough so that we can be our own gatekeepers. In Fairfax, too, just like in Vermont, good fences make good neighbors.

De Liver de Letter de Sooner de Better . . .

Don't remember where that phrase comes from—somewhere in my past. And not just my past. Bills, junk mail, and catalogs still arrive in the box but letters rarely do for most of us. Snail mail is something we do as a last resort since e-mails, e-vites, and e-greetings have taken their place. Still, hungry mailboxes abound, especially in Fairfax, California where I've been visiting a lot lately. As I walked down the winding streets of this idyllic part of Northern California, these old fashioned mailboxes called out to me. Even if their mouths aren't stuffed as much as they have been in the past, we still need them and always enjoy a handwritten note or letter or card.




 

Summer in the City

One recent walk down Centre Street in West Roxbury revealed a very unexpected object: a snowman!

It was an attention getting promotional stunt perpetrated by one of the owners of Wicked Sharp, a ski shop eager to remind folks that even though you may be sweating, winter is coming. Eventually.