Category: Life

Posted in Life

Do not, I repeat, do not enter this driveway

Posted on by William Douthwaite

This homeowner has been carefully guarding her driveway for a year.

There are no houses under construction in this part of the neighborhood. No neighbors parking on the street overnight. It’s not near a school bus stop, so no one’s using it as a turnaround.

She just really, really doesn’t want anyone pulling in.

I find this curious. It’s not a great-looking driveway. If she really cared about it, wouldn’t she pressure wash it? And what an inconvenience. Every time she comes and goes, she has to get out of the car, disconnect the chain, and then reconnect it. I’d get tired of that routine in a day or two.

Two other houses beside her have a similar barrier at the foot of each driveway. It’s a very paranoid or protective section of the neighborhood.

It’s as bad as the many homeowners who put reflective sticks in the grass by the road so no one parks on their weedy front lawn where they stack discarded furniture days before big trash pick up. My neighbors need to relax.

Posted in cookies, Life

Everyone loves the cookie guy!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Khalid Elkady on Unsplash

I love delivering cookies. Every box brings a smile to the recipient’s face. With a gasp, they get their first look and exclaim, “These are amazing!”

But it gets better. When I pulled into a driveway last week, a little dachshund-mix dog greeted me in the driveway. Her six-inch tail was whipping back and forth a mile a minute as I stepped out of the van. With happy squinting eyes, she sat while I scratched her chin and chest, ran my hand down her back.

After a minute of that, I told her, “Hey, I’ve got some cookies for your mom.” She led me up the walk to the front door and I pushed the Ring doorbell with my elbow. Our customer answered the door and I said, “I love your welcoming committee!”

“Oh, was she out here?”

I laughed, “She’s not supposed to be out here?”

Apparently not. I thought they had an invisible fence or something. But my new little friend was just enjoying a few moments of sunshine and freedom on a beautiful afternoon.

Even the doggies are happy when the cookie guy shows up!

Need cookies? Check us out: backseatgracebakery.com

Posted in Life, neighbor, neighborhood

Let’s tear this place up!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The Great Dane and I walk by this recently built house just about every day. Lately, the owner has been methodically tearing out this large section of his lawn.

Built on a curve in the road, this house is either built on a double lot or a really big oversized lot. Just after it was complete, the owner tore out all the landscaping around the house. He removed all the shrubs and mulch, and put down sod in those areas. New home landscaping typically isn’t exciting. Once you’ve closed on the house, you can fix up your yard any way you want.

Next, the owner installed about two dozen lights in the yard. The lights were along the driveway or front walkway. They were all out in the middle of the yard. I’m sure there was a reason.

Next, he set up cinderblocks and two-by-fours as a makeshift fence. At first, I thought he might be setting up a little garden. But every day the cleared area grew bigger. I only saw him working on it one time. With nothing more than a grubbing hoe, he chopped away at his lawn. I took the above picture two weeks ago. As of this morning, he had cleared out that whole area. I should have stopped to ask him why he was tearing up all the sod.

Okay, so what’s going on? What’s the plan? What is he going to do with this thousand square foot area?

  • Maybe he’s going to pave this area and move the fence closer to the road. But that’s a huge area for a paver patio.
  • If he were putting in a pool, he would have let the contractor take all that out with heavy machinery.
  • He’s already got a large fenced-in backyard. It seems like that’s where you would put your pool or patio.
  • Adding on to the house? I’d see a permit.
  • Maybe he wants a different kind of grass. St. Augustine grass takes lot of water and care. Perhaps he’ll go with Zoysia or Bahia.
  • Maybe he’ll plant lots of trees and have a little park next to his house. That’s a creative idea.

I’m interested to see what happens next. Oh, and you know what else? All the windows are blacked out, so I see no light from inside when we walk by in the evening. Hmm. What do you think is going on in there?

Posted in Life

A Tire Blowout and a Stranger’s Help: Journey Reflections

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sebastian Huxley on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
View all responses

On our way to Texas, we discovered that the camper-trailer tires weren’t as roadworthy as we thought. Somewhere between Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama, we felt a thud that made us pull over on I-10. One of the trailer tires had blown, leaving a trail of rubber behind us.

Hey, it’s just one of those things you encounter on a trip. We had a spare tire, but not the tools we needed to change it. Not a problem. We had purchased roadside assistance, called them up, were assured that help was on the way.

We waited. And we waited. And we waited a little longer. The roadside assistance folks called to say it would be a while. The truck was in Mobile. There was a lot of traffic. It would be a long while before their arrival.

Another car pulled off the highway about 25 yards behind us. A woman with a few young children called her husband to come and change out a tire. When he arrived, he changed her tire and then kindly let us use his tools to put the spare on our trailer.

As soon as we had the new tire on the trailer and were about to head to our campsite, the roadside assistance truck pulled up to help, three hours since our call for assistance. We thanked him, and headed on our way.

Just a stranger. But a much needed friend.

Posted in dogs, Life

Water adventure at the dog park

Posted on by William Douthwaite

While the dogs were delighted, we were horrified when someone opened the gate and two of our three dogs got into the pond.

We usually only have two dogs, but we were also watching my daughter’s older dog. The dog park surrounds a fenced-in pond populated by turtles, snakes, fish, and no doubt a gator or two. A couple of gates provide access, but I’ve never seen a dog in there.

Until that day. A gentleman with an Irish setter and some kind of terrier opened the gate for them, and two of our dogs eagerly followed. My daughter’s dog, an eleven-year old lab mix spotted a tennis ball in the lake, jumped in, and swam to get it. Her hips are a little stiffer, but she could still swim! And then she wanted someone to throw it back in so she could swim some more.

Our Westie is not a swimmer, but ran around the lake, yapping at the swimming dog, turtles, and fish, and lapping at the murky water.

What about our Great Dane? She didn’t get through the gate, but ran around the outside of the fence, woofing at everyone inside.

Once in the pond enclosure, there was no getting them out. In and out of the water and around the lake, they got wet, dirty, and had the time of their lives. A lady grabbed a few dog biscuits from her car, but our dogs weren’t interested.

After about half an hour, I positioned myself on the bank and waited for them to run by. Once they were distracted by water and a ball, I grabbed each by the collar and ended their water play.

The dogs had fun, the van smelled like wet dog for a while, and they all took good naps when we got home.

Posted in Food, Life

A skinny chicken

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Want to get a rotisserie chicken for supper?”

You never have to ask me twice. At our favorite grocery, where shopping is a pleasure, I love the smell of the birds roasting and frying just beyond the deli counter.

And they smell so good. Which one should I choose? Lemon pepper? Mojo seasoned? I chose a good old-fashioned oven-roasted. It’ll pair well with tonight’s Caesar salad.

I didn’t look at the price tag in the store, so when we got home and I pulled the chicken out of the bag to put on a serving plate, I noticed it wasn’t as cheap as it used to be. Three dollars than just a few years ago. I also noticed that there wasn’t as much meat on the chicken as I remember. This was a skinny chicken. We call it a “Haitian chicken.”

Chicken was the typical supper entree when we traveled to Haiti on medical mission trips. The chickens that were running around there were definitely hormone- and antibiotic-free. They were very skinny and always cooked until well-done. There wasn’t a lot of meat on those bones.

On one bus ride back to our lodging, the driver suddenly veered off the road. A man was standing there holding a live chicken whose legs were tied together. Our driver handed the man a few dollars and he tied the chicken to the roof of the bus. It was part of our supper that night.

Candy bars are smaller. There are fewer chips in the bag. The chickens are skinnier, too.

Posted in Life

Overcoming Media Saturation: Embrace Real-Life Experiences

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Edge2Edge Media on Unsplash

In a recent edition of Recomendo, a weekly newsletter I receive Sunday morning, the editors pointed me to Erik Davis’ talk How to Navigate the Weirdness. I haven’t watched the whole talk yet, but two summary statements caught my attention.

  • “Ground yourself in physical sensations and direct experiences to counterbalance the effects of media saturation and overwhelming information.”

I don’t want to be saturated with media, but it happens. One Google search to learn how to fix a problem with my 3D printer brings up self-help videos on multiple platforms laden with links to other videos and advertisements for related products. It’s like someone dumped a bucket of media on my head. I do this many times a day. I’m overwhelmed with information.

To counter this, I take the dog for a walk, I play my guitar, or I exercise. I do something physical, something that engages my senses, and immerse myself in an experience to escape a virtual world for the real one.

The second statement had a spiritual hue:

  • “Deepen your capacity to embrace uncertainty, mystery, and doubt without searching for fact or reason—not everything fits into a fixed narrative.”

There’s a lot I don’t understand about God. Even though I daily learn new things about him, I always have more questions. At the end of the day, I have to trust what he says without much corroborating evidence.

There’s nothing wrong with some uncertainty. That’s what makes games fun. You don’t know what you’ll be dealt or what number you’ll roll. I love reading mysteries. Doubt is good. It protects me from being scammed.

I love facts. As a logical thinker, I gravitate to reason. But some narratives take me in a new direction. Or, as I now like to say, “I didn’t know where I was going until I got there.”

Posted in Life

A new barbershop

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jeppe Mønster on Unsplash

After a couple of bad haircuts, I decided to try a different barber shop. I always got stuck with the third or fourth chair barber who was just out of barber school or had too much to drink the night before. Or maybe that morning. Who knows?

Anyway, I found another barbershop a little closer to my house. When I walked up to the door, a handwritten note announced “Carmelo is not here.” It was Carmelo’s Barbershop. Okay. No problem. They were open, so there must be other barbers cutting hair.

Just before I opened the door to walk in, I saw a small table with a spiral-bound notebook and pen. It was open to a page with a list of names, most of which were crossed out. I wrote my name and walked in.

A young lady was cutting hair, and a couple of other men were waiting their turn. I sat down and read some emails on my phone. I listened as the barber described how her father (Carmelo) was sick, the other part-time barber was ill, and she was running the shop alone that day.

As she finished each cut, she would take their money, walk outside, check the notebook, and call out the next name. A pretty good system, just one I’ve never seen before. Usually, I walk into the barbershop, sit and take note of the other guys sitting there so I know when it will be my turn. Sometimes I get the front of the line since they are waiting for a specific barber. Of course, then I get a lousy haircut.

Anyway, I got a great haircut that day. I went back and got another great haircut from another barber in that shop a month later.

It all worked out pretty well.

Posted in Life

5 Simple Joys: Morning Sparks Happiness

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
View all responses

Waking up.

    I’m a morning person. An early bird. No two ways about it, I love waking up in the morning. Somehow my body knows the time, and I almost always wake up at 5:55 am. Depending on the season, it might be dark, or the sky may be light. But that’s when I like to wake up, and I like to wake up. Rarely do I sleep in.

    Waking up and walking the dogs.

    This has long been a part of my morning routine. After feeding the pups, I put on their leashes and we’re out the door. We walk around the block or around many blocks. It’s quiet. The air is still. I can hear the sounds of traffic and trash trucks off in the distance. I think it’s the best time of the day.

    Waking up and walking the dogs as dawn colors appear on the horizon.

    As we walk, the sky slowly turns from night to day. As it does, many hues of orange paint the sky, especially if there are clouds. It’s magnificent. How can there be so many different kinds of orange? I’m impressed by the Creator’s work up above.

    Waking up, walking the dogs, watching the brightening sky, and hearing the birds singing.

    When we leave the house, it’s quiet. But not for long. One bird starts singing. Another responds. Pretty soon, my ears are filled with birdsong. I whistle back, participating in an antiphonal chorus. They probably aren’t fooled, but I like to think we are singing together.

    Waking up, walking the dogs, watching the brightening sky, hearing the birds, as ideas show up in my head.

    This is when I think of some of my best, most creative ideas for writing and storytelling, The rhythm of my steps and the tempo of my breathing stimulate my right brain. I speak my ideas into my phone, messages I’ll see later. I don’t want to forget.

    Everything about the morning brings me happiness, from my first step out of bed until I get back from the walk. For me, it is a magical part of the day, regardless of the weather, the day’s agenda, or how I slept that night.