Publisher's Letter
Every neighborhood has “that” neighbor—the one whose choices cause the rest of the block to cringe a little. Maybe they leave their trash cans out too long, their lawn is not manicured as neatly as the others, they have campers and boats parked in the driveway, or they have a dog that greets every passerby with endless barking. You know the type. The real surprise, however, comes when you realize you might be that neighbor. I adore my neighborhood and its people, but I am not sure they feel the same way about us.
Just last week, during her morning walk, one of my neighbors sent me a text: “There are some chickens in your front yard.” Oops. I had been trying to keep my backyard mini-farm a secret, but the jig was up. I quickly replied, “That’s all Fred’s fault.” Moments later, another text came through: “There are also some ducks… are those yours?” Yep, guilty as charged (also Fred’s fault).
As Garth Brooks would say, “I blame it all on my roots.” Growing up in Queen City, we had land, which naturally meant we populated it with animals—horses, goats, a donkey, dogs, cats—you name it, we had it. Fred grew up in Gladewater, where he was an active FFA member, raising farm animals. So, even though we now live in the city, it’s hard to shake our country roots.
Now, let me explain how we ended up as “those” neighbors. First, there is the dog that barks all the time—we are still trying to figure out what’s up with him. I think we are simply feeling the repercussions of making a swift decision on what type of dog to get. Then, there was the camper parked in our driveway for what might have been a tad too long. Our DIY remodel took a bit longer than expected. And the mini farm? That started with an abandoned duckling we found in our backyard. After a quick online search, we learned ducklings should not be alone, so off we went to Atwoods and Tractor Supply, coming home with four baby chicks and two ducks. Unfortunately, the original duckling did not even survive two weeks, leaving us with the leftovers of our compulsive (yet well-intentioned) purchase. (I guess we didn’t learn our lesson from the compulsive dog purchase.) Today, we have two chickens and two ducks left, and on the bright side, we recently gathered our first fresh eggs! Our chickens, Biscuit and Belle, have grown on me. I can step outside and call, “Hey girls,” and they come running. Maybe if I share some fresh eggs with the neighbors, they will let us stay…fingers crossed.
In this month’s issue, we are showcasing some incredible local homes owned by people who are the opposite of “that” neighbor. These are the homes you dream of living next door to—the ones that elevate the entire neighborhood. Each has been thoughtfully designed to reflect the homeowners’ unique lifestyle and taste. I’ve seen more stunning lighting and fabrics this month than ever before. We are so grateful to each homeowner who welcomed us into their private space; they truly made putting this issue together a joy. We hope you enjoy it! As always, remember to shop locally and support our wonderful community! They might just be ready to kick us to the curb—or even kick us out entirely.
