After living downtown--two blocks from a fire station and whaling fire-trucks, bars with a 2 a.m. drunk exodus, 4^th Ave. traffic, the tragedy of homeless people everywhere--the change is huge!

Now I fall asleep with little noise: I sleep deeper, dream deeper and wakeup feeling refreshed. And the “noise” here in suburbia? Children playing and teenagers throwing hoops in their driveways. Sweet music to my ears!

This immense “suburban silence,” if you will, reminds me of what I once read in an esoteric teaching: Of becoming so quiet in one’s being that you become “drunk with silence.” I am experiencing the ecstasy of quietness, surrounded by land and nature. In my new home, I feel like my soul has room to breathe and unfold, and I have a new sense of serenity and calmness.

This is not to say that life in the suburbs doesn’t have its challenges, especially for a gal coming from 20+ years of downtown apartment life. I still haven’t mastered the lawn mower. Okay, total cop-out, I hired the neighbor kids Karen and Juan to mow and prune. They’ve done a great job, and I’m now funding their soccer camp!--but I think I need a riding lawn mower to fully mow my half acre!

And, this is so Green Acres (“Green Acres is the place for me, farm living is the life I seek...”)--I was informed by my neighbor that this sweet little half acre was once an orchard—hence the fruit trees. So I’ve got apple, plum and pear trees all bearing fruit, with no idea what to do with them. (Perhaps apple sauce or plum pudding?) And this is so Eva Gabor, I’ve traded my neighborhood restaurants and bistros: Dahlia Lounge, Shallot’s Bistro and the Palace Kitchen, for Red Lobster, Olive Garden, I-HOP and Denny’s (yes, there’s a Denny’s here!)

No more walking a block to Uptown Espresso for a coffee. New mode—brew it myself in my own kitchen. And no longer hanging at Nordstrom’s--but instead, Loews and Home Depot! (I did meet a very cute guy last week at Loews in the paint section, who seemed very interested in my wallpaper stripping situation. Note to self: wear lipstick when shopping at home repair stores.)

And the garbage situation! Can we just talk about garbage? In the city there was a DUMPSTER, and one walked out of her apartment and put her trash in a big old dumpster. Sure, we had the recycle bin, but basically, everything went into the dumpster. There are no dumpsters in suburbia. And the yard waste, from the ½ acre yard that I’ve yet to learn how to mow, requires a whole other garbage container—called a Yard Waste Recycle Bin—which isn’t very big, and dear lord—I want my DUMPSTER back!

Basically, life is grand here in the suburbs and I love it all.

New phone number: 425 742-5355

New address: 17617 Spruce Way, Lynnwood WA 98037