Walking around the neighborhood

I like to walk around the neighborhood. It's relaxing to enjoy the slower pace and take in the sights and sounds. We have lots of trees--many shapes and sizes. I like to gaze up at them and admire their symmetry or their uniqueness if the limbs jut out at odd angles. I like to inspect the bark. Is it rough or smooth? Does it have the character of age like the wrinkled face of my grandmother? The weeping willow is one of my favorites, so different in appearance. 

The houses in America are often made of wood because it's so expensive to make one from bricks or stones. Unlike Europe, you don't see many tile roofs here. There's almost always a garage but often the car is parked in the driveway or in the street because the garage is filled with things that wouldn't fit in the basement! 

Most of the fences enclose only the back yard. The front door is exposed to the world. Most houses don't have individual mail boxes. There's usually one box for a dozen or so houses. Each box has smaller boxes inside, each with a locked door waiting to receive the latest advertisements, magazines, political propaganda--maybe once in awhile, a card or letter, sometimes even from a distant friend! 

People are friendly in my neighborhood. It's not unusual for one of them to say 'Hi' as I walk past, or if I meet someone walking a dog. I had a nice walk tonight because the weather is cooler than it's been recently. I'm looking forward to walking more in the next month or two as the leaves take on the burning red and orange colors of fall. Then it will be winter and once again the weather will try to keep me inside. 

Maybe this year I'll be bold and walk in the cold. No, I'm not too old!

To or not to

Not to -- no need for 'to' in these sentences: 

After work I'm going home. (not "going to home")

I can hardly wait for Christmas. (not "hardly to wait")

To -- these sentences would sound funny without 'to': 

I want to go to Poland again soon. 

Do you like to stay home on the weekend? 

I want to talk to you tomorrow. 

I'm glad to hear you say that to me. 

What would you like to have for dinner? 

Isn't it great to spend time with friends? 

Next week I'm going to visit my uncle.

Are you in?

More fun with prepositions--everybody's favorite!! 

What's "in" it for me??

Cat: What in the world are you doing in there? 

Mouse: I’m taking a load off my feet. 

Cat: But you’re in the closet! 

Mouse: I know. It’s quiet in here. I’m resting my mind too. 

Cat: Why don't you turn on the light? Isn’t it dark in there? 

Mouse: Yes, I like the dark. It's easy on my eyes. 

Tom: Where in the world are you going in such a hurry? 

Jack: I’m applying for a job. I’ve got to turn in my resume. The time will run out in an hour. Then I’ll be in big trouble for sure. 

Tom: Is this job in your field? 

Jack: In a sense. I have experience in talking in front of people and this job is in sales. 

Tom: I hope you’re not in for a disappointment. It’s tough to sell things in hard times like these. 

Jack: I’m trying to think in a positive way about this. The products I’d be selling are in demand in every economic situation. 

Tom: Even in a recession? 

Jack: Yes. I read an encouraging article in the latest Time magazine. I’ll be in the money and on top of the world in no time! 

Are you in a hurry? I hope you're on time!

About

I read a fascinating book about baseball. It was about 300 pages long. 

It's about time for school to start here in the states. I don't really care about it, because I'm not in school and I don't have kids at home any more. I hear my co-workers talk about it. 

I see that my neighbor is mowing his yard. It's about time! He let it grow too tall this time. 

We've had several weeks of hot weather. It's about all I can take. Isn't it about over? 

My brother is about as tall as I am and we both have red hair, although his is about gone. 

He did an about face (changed his mind) when I told him the rest of the story. 

It's about time for me to go mow my own yard. Then I'll be about through with my chores for today. 

Did you like this? Please tell me what you think about it.

Joy

What gives you joy? 

Do you find joy or does it find you? 

Does money bring you joy? 

What about success? 

Is joy the same as happiness? 

When you're full of joy, do you want to share it with someone? 

I've known joy many times in my life: When I went to college, the first week there I met a girl who became a friend of mine. Then she became my girlfriend and, rather quickly, my wife. It was a dream that I wasn't sure would ever come true. I'm thankful that it did. 

The same week I met a man who talked to me about heaven. After years of feeling unacceptable and unforgivable, I discovered total forgiveness and acceptance. Wow! That's profound joy!

When we found out we wouldn't have children of our own, we decided to adopt 2 children. What an incredible experience to bring them into our family! In a few months, I'll experience the joy of being a grandfather. Check back in October! 

I've made lifelong friends in Poland and now every time I visit I feel the joy of going home. One of those friends recently discovered the same joy of forgiveness and acceptance that I found so long ago. Sharing that experience with her gave me incredible joy. I love to tell others about it. 

Remembering these joyful moments is a chance to experience the joy all over again. And I do. Sometimes my heart feels like it's going to explode because it can't contain the feeling. 

I hope you know this kind of joy too.

Down

Maybe you've been down this road before (you have experience with a similar situation). You face a decision and you don't know what to do. You've looked up and down the list of possibilities but nothing seems clear. Every choice seems like walking down a blind alley. You start to feel down because you're stuck, but you can't put it down and forget about it. 

Before you are completely down and out, you get an idea. Quickly you write it down so you don't forget. Your best friend listens to you describe it, and says, "Yeah, it looks good. I'm down with that." Now you're walking down the street with a smile on your face. You can put this one down as a learning experience. 

When it came down to it, you did what you needed to do, faced the obstacles, and made the tough decision. 

No one can put you down for giving up.

An article on articles

Those pesky little words called "articles" can be hard to figure out.

“The” is called a definite article while “a” and “an” are indefinite articles. Use “a” if the next word starts with a consonant sound, “an” if the next word starts with a vowel sound. (See below). 

I hope these examples help you get a feel for the way we use them. 

The man with a blue hat walked away from the car with a bag in his hand and a smile on his face. 

The man in the long coat crossed the street in front of the drug store. 

An old woman pushed a baby carriage along the sidewalk. 

A woman with a little dog walked together in the park. 

The little girl next door has the cutest curls. 

The little girl next door has a cute smile.

An eager young girl knocked on my door. She was selling Girl Scout Cookies.

I heard a noise in the still of the night and turned on the light. I went down the hall, checked the kitchen and living room, but I didn’t see the source of the mystery. Half an hour later I finally gave up and went back to sleep. (Note it's "an hour", not "a hour". The consonant "h" is silent, so the word "hour" starts with a vowel sound.)

The grass was so tall, I spent an hour and a half mowing the front yard. 

The weather has been so hot lately that the thought of fall or even winter is becoming more attractive all the time. 

Our weather in Missouri is usually much warmer than that of the northern states. 

When I visit my mom on the farm, the stars in the dark sky are like diamonds on a velvet canvas. 

I lived on a farm when I was growing up.

Articles are definitely a challenge. You can spend an indefinite amount of time trying to master them. They’re almost as bad as prepositions!