January 2025

Nooses in a tree are not always...

 I  recently discovered nooses hanging in my neighbors’ tree. Now it is later.

When I went on my walk Wednesday morning, my neighbor rushed out of her door when she saw me giving her dog a treat (which I do every morning). She was smiling and anxious as she greeted me from 6 feet away.
She told me she had gotten my note and felt "terrible" that the ropes had had such an effect on me. "I didn't think," she said. She was tearful and very apologetic. She explained that the ropes had been for her daughter to practice her acrobatics on.

I don't know if I mentioned in my article that the ropes had been removed by the time last weekend was over. I didn't get into "why" it took her so long to talk to me since I had written the note the Friday before and given her my address.  I was just glad that we were having a conversation and she was contrite. We threw each other cyber hugs, I got her name and all was well.

I think we both learned some lessons. For me, it was to always pay attention to my "gut." While some had been urging me to make a bad "rush to judgment" (i.e., by calling authorities) I am glad I was patient and decided to wait and see if she would reach out to me or I would connect with her. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait very long for us to have a conversation. The fact that I waited was very gratifying for me. Patience is something I've been trying to work on.

-     Vickie –