Welcome to the neighborhood

I've never had a blog before - let alone a journal. So please, indulge me as I try to find my voice and a vision. I was thinking to myself, "How should I just up and start a blog? Should I post about my dog? My daily routine? Dreams and aspirations? Political frustrations?" Again, I'm new to this so even as I write this I am unsure of my path. But, I figure if I'm going to start something I might as well just do it - one foot in front of the other, as they say.

About half of my days start with a short walk around the neighborhood. And man, I truly love where I live. Lockeland Springs in East Nashville is just one of these gems.. a quiet assembly of unique bungalows, craftsman style, and renovated ranchers that all have their own flavor - adding peculiarity and distinction - all while being just a couple miles from downtown Nashville. I could go on about East Nashville, and anyone who lives here gets it, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a cooler community in all of the country. Cass and I were lucky enough to find a small house for rent, agreed to terms the day we saw it, and we literally think it's perfect for us. Anyways, I walk around and really enjoy seeing how my neighbors make their houses homes.

One of our neighbors, Keith, has a little rancher right up the street. I can tell Keith's a minimalist. His landscaping and decorations are no frills, function-over-everything, and I really admire his way of life.. I'm pretty sure I saw that he's got a hammock hanging in his living room, and he's always tinkering away at his projects: little additions to his outdoor space, improvements to his already impressive garden, or keeping a stack of chopped firewood for chilly nights.. But the most interesting part of his property is this row of giant sunflowers that are perennially grandfathered into his garden. He lives on a corner so there's this 2ft wide, ~40 long section in between the road and sidewalk that is just inundated with big, beautiful sunflowers. Every spring they start popping up, and before you know it, they're like 9 feet tall. This is just a block up the street, so on my morning walks with Roscoe we walk right through this tunnel of sunflowers, and start our day with gratitude for this effortless form of natural beauty just a few steps from our door.

Thanks Keith. You're a good neighbor.