"We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbor."

It's a beautiful Saturday morning, sunny and cool. I have been outside a few times to stand on the deck and survey my world. I caught Miss Gracie trying to dig her way out of the yard. A dog next door had caught her attention, and she figured she might just visit. A few pieces of the old fence post put an end to her aspirations, at least in that spot. I found an exploded cardboard firecracker shell while I was traipsing through the underbrush. Where that came from is a mystery. I picked up a bird feeder which had fallen and then I filled the bird bath. A chore had grown.

Only one item fills my dance card today, a family reunion. It is my friend's husband's family. None of us are even remotely related. All the cousins and I greet each other and say how long it's been. We pore over the family tree and look at the additions, the new generations. I've been going to this family reunion for several years. I suspect some of them actually think we're related but can't figure out how.

During the summer, my neighborhood was seldom quiet in the daylight hours. The place was loaded with noisy kids. Most families had three or four. The little ones played in the backyard, and all the backyards were connected. Only a small patch of grass and some clothes lines separated them. The grassy hill behind our house was perfect for rolling down to make yourself dizzy. Every kid knew there was something hilarious about standing up and reeling, unable to hold your balance. I also remember a summer when a slip and slide was on the hill. During the day it was kids. At night it was adults. They were louder than any kids. One time two fathers actually had a fist fight in the backyard. That was about the most exciting thing I ever saw. It was like in a western with first one punch then another then two men rolling on the ground. I don't remember who stopped it, but I remember being a little disappointed. We lived in that neighborhood from the time I was four until I was nearly seventeen. It is in almost all of my growing up memories.