A New View Out the Living Room Picture Window
Our mid-fifties house has a 4' x 8' picture window in its living room. It serves as our daily neighborhood view screen. Lately, the show we watch, though, has changed quite a good deal.
We had no idea there were so many dogs in our neighborhood, but all of those folks who are staying at home these days are walking by with their pups on leashes. Heck, we didn't even know those people lived in our corner of St. Paul, MN. We're also seeing people out for walks on their own, too. Couples we have never met are walking by at least once a day.
The children, too, are out. Our neighbors a couple of doors up the street are apparently sending them out to burn off some energy. The 8-year-old girl is riding furiously up and down the sidewalk at top speed, while her 13-year-old brother practices wheelies on his bicycle in the street. My mind's ear hears their Mom saying, "You kids get out of the house and do something!"
There are several chalked hop scotch games on the block's sidewalks. While my wife and I were walking yesterday, I engaged in using one of them, which generated some laughter from the children on the lawn. Apparently, a 74-year-old man with a white beard playing hop scotch seemed humorous to them.
The extended Hmong family across the street seems not to have heard about social distancing, or avoiding large groups, since they've been holding their usual late afternoon cookouts with various friends or other family members showing up in droves.
People are definitely staying at home, though. The number of cars parked in driveways and on the street has increased dramatically, and there's almost no vehicle traffic at any time on the block.
My wife and I join in the dog-walking at 3 PM every afternoon, since our two dogs believe it is a mandatory thing that they take their humans out on leashes each day for a walk. Rain, snow, or shine, go we must. With the increased foot traffic, though, there is some crossing of the street to avoid close contact with other walkers. We've become accustomed to waving at our neighbors, instead of stopping to chat briefly while our dogs sniff their dogs and vice-versa.
Things are quiet these days as we look out our picture window. People seem quite serious as they take their exercise, too. It's an odd mix of increased traffic, but less interaction. Things seem somber on our block, despite the increase in outdoor activity.
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...the 1950s. 