John and Jeraldine

Well, I guess that it was to be expected sooner or later. We have young new neighbors that are moving in next door. I guess if we really didn’t want them so near we could have been more a lot more vocal about it. They aren’t really so bad I guess, but the neighborhood seems to really have gotten a lot messier since they came. Goodness only knows that we truly put out an effort to keep up appearances. We try to keep our lawns manicured, flowers planted, even our cars washed. In general we are trying to make a good impression on those that pass by. We even have help with the house cleaning. Now we have this! And before you know it there will be little ones to contend with also.

It all started with the noise. Not really loud but constant turmoil, flitting here and there, bringing in what I would call just plain less then second hand building material. I don’t know where they get it but it looks a lot like something one would find at the junk yard. With the recent rains, their building materials have taken on a sodden appearance. I could have told them it would need to dry before they could build with it, but no one asked my advice, nor did I offer to tell them how to do it either. I guess they will figure it out for themselves. Who am I to muscle in where I am not asked or apparently not wanted?

They had tried to build here once before, but I guess we were, for some unknown reason, successful in discouraging the proposed project. After all, they didn’t really consult us on whether or not they could build such a structure. I am not sure they even got a permit to build. I wonder if the inspectors have lost their perspective. I know they really gave me the business when I tried to improve the property with my barn. I had all kinds of permits and challenges. I just cannot figure out how these two are able to build what they are building without some sort of printed plan to go by. I don’t see them ever consulting any kind of paper work or plans. It just seems like a rather spontaneous construction if you ask me, and rather haphazard at that.

It is just the constant jabber all day long between the two builders. But they seem to be making progress non-the-less, beats me how the two of them are able to construct anything that can be useful to anyone. The lady of the house appears to have the deciding veto power as to what goes into the house building process. If she decides she doesn’t like just how he puts it up she will tare it down and rebuild it herself. Amazing! It would be much more entertaining if I could get the courage to just speak to them. Currently now we have so many in our area that don’t speak our language, that I just shake my head and go on. I would think everyone living in America would learn the language but not these two.

I have been watching them through the window by the front door. My wife and I have tried to spy on them without them knowing what we are doing. Actually we have a great view of the building project from beside the front door with its sidelight of a frosted window with clear designs. If we look carefully we are able see through the clear part of the decorated window without showing ourselves and causing any disturbance or eliciting suspicion. The front door is almost off limits because it really sets them off. John and Jeraldine seem to really be into this building thing. It is amazing how well they do at construction with the mundane inferior building materials they have managed to obtain. The homes in our area are quite nice and some are worth in the million. One house, not more than a quarter of a mile away, has over 10,000 square feet in it and sets in the middle of seventeen acres enclosed with a stone and wrought iron fence. Now we have these two building something of “mud” in our midst with no regard to even minimum standards of the local residents.

The other night I looked out the side door window by the front door to see the couple camping out in their unfinished project. Really now, camping out – here- so close to our very superior housing. I flashed the outside lights to see if it really was true and it was. There they were big as life clinging to the structure they had already put together, actually perched under the eves of the house right next to our front door.

Oh, I guess that I failed to say John and Jeraldine are two very attractive Barn Swallows in the process of setting up housekeeping very near our front door. It has been such a thrill to observe them swooping, diving, complaining, encouraging one another as they gather mud spit to make the mortar to hold the construction to the house wall.

They are a little messy but that will clean up. They will make up the difference by eating a lot of unsavory insects that seem to be ever present in the neighborhood also. It is quite interesting that we have been able to watch them so closely since they are building so near the window. I haven’t figured out yet if they can actually see us or not. Maybe they will just get used to us being around.

The birds started to build last year but for some unknown reason didn’t quite get the hang of it (no pun intended) and left without completing the project. But they are back again with a determined stick-to-it to make a go of it this time.

We seem to have gone to the birds with quite a few we call our own. There is Sebastian, the German Roller canary, Spike the old cockatiel, which hates crows but doesn’t mind the other wild birds that happen to visit the yard within his view. The magpies that joyously visit the feeding station close to the back window along with the jays and mocking birds add so much color and variety to our surroundings, are very much appreciated by the duo that actually live in the house.

We have been privileged to live in the “fruited plains” of America and find we have been blessed beyond what we ever imagined. More stories may be forthcoming as inspiration and ambition ebb and flow around this writer. Thanks for reading this. Your comments about this story and suggestions for further stories would be appreciated.