"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it." -Lady Galadriel, opening lines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
I mentioned in a post last week that I really enjoy the neighbors over at The Swamp. They are so friendly, considerate, thoughtful and well, neighborly. We all look out for each other. People knock on back doors and borrow stuff like milk, tools and wheel barrows. Would you like to have some tea? Y'all come back!In the Pecan Orchard it seems like most of my neighbors go out of their way not to make eye contact. They might have to wave or learn your name or something.
Well, the other day I noticed something else I find a bit disturbing. As I was driving into my subdivision it suddenly struck me... everyone's blinds were closed. In the middle of a perfectly lovely Spring day. What's up with that?
My Dad and I were having our glass of wine out on the back patio after supper last night and I asked him if he'd ever noticed that before. He hadn't. We started looking around at the neighbors houses that we could see from my back yard. Every window was covered either by blinds or curtains. No exception.
Now why do you suppose that is?
My Dad thinks people might afraid of home invasions and burglaries. Now I believe that might be part of it, except their kids were outside playing in their yards and riding their bikes and scooters. You'd think they would be more worried about the safety and well-being of their kids than their stuff, right?
I find this whole closed blinds thing strange and more than just a bit sad. It's like they're all hiding from the world. It makes me imagine they have a bunch of locks on all their doors, rather than the usual one.
When I lived in my little cottage in central Florida, I never locked my house - I mean, one brick and the burglar is in, right? However, when my parents moved in with me that changed. My mother likes locks locked. She locks the doors when she takes a nap! My back door has a screen door with a lock and a regular door with a dead bolt and door handle lock! Even the cat flap has a lock! Four locks on one door! Again, one brick...
Anyway, back to the blinds... I'm a blinds open kinda gal once the sun comes up, and I don't usually close them until it's time to go to bed or it gets dark. In fact, I love to open the windows as often as the weather cooperates!
What about all of you? Blinds/Curtains open or shut? And if you happen think of it, take a look around your neighborhood and tell me what you find.
Hope you all enjoy the day!
12 friends stopped by:
As soon as mum gets up in the morning the curtains are opened and they don't get pulled again until dark. She can't imagine living in the gloom or with the lights on all the time. She never locks, (or even closes) the door when we go for our walks around the fields and dad keeps telling her she should. She likes the fresh air blowing through the house.
I'm the same way - I love my curtains open...if only the birds would stop flying into the windows! I have to get those window clings to stop them, which is why I close them sometimes....I don't lock my doors everyday, but I live in the country, my nearest neighbor is a mile away and I am a stay at home wife with fibromyalgia....locking doors is my husband's way of trying to keep me safe, so I oblige him.....usually :)
I don't like blinds, so none of my homes had them. I usually keep window curtains open and use sheers for privacy.
We keep our curtains and blinds open all the time, even at night! We only close the drapes in the bedroom during the day because the sun is really, really strong in there even though the sliding glass doors have window tint on them.
wow i can see that lovely photo! and as to the blinds, well i don't have any except for the bedroom in podunk and the bathrooms there. everything else there is open and here in florida the windows are free of anything so i can see out! and the only thing that can see in is helicopters so no problem. if the sun gets too intense (certain times of the year) i just move the shutters around a bit until it moves on up or down. i love looking out!
smiles, bee
xxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I like everything open and even in winter I like fresh air. You can't leave your doors unlocked anymore or your garage...sad isn't it. I think that over the past 8 years we have become a very fearful nation and have always been told to be on guard and suspicious..just my opinion anyway..Michelle
Open in the daylight, absolutely! I can't stand not being able to see out, and love open windows, too. Doors are only locked at night, but all it takes is one brick...
We live in a closed blind/curtains neighborhood. We live across from a middle school and very ver kids walk to school and you don't see them outside in the front yards. The back yards are all fenced with tall wooden fences. We do know our neighbors enough to greet them, but this has never been a backdoor or borrowing neighborhood.
I was raised in a small country town where that was the norm and mom's did not work, but that was s different era.
We compromise here. the blinds are up a couple of feet so the cats can see out, but shut tight above that!. I keep the front door open so the cats and I can see out the storm door. I do keep the storm door locked so no one will open it and let the cats out. I live one house from a busy street and would hate it if they got hurt in traffic. My house is old and needs repairs, so I have trouble pushing the windows up. When my Husband is home and we are going to be ‘in’ all day, we will open the windows.
There is not a lot of sitting on the patios or in the yards, either. It is sad that we have lost the easy of days gone by. Especially since our neighborhood is considered a low crime area!
Sorry, did not mean to write a book!
It's a beautiful spring day here and our blinds are all open. Well, if we are home I open them everyday, rain or shine.
Have a terrific day honey. Big hug. :)
Hey Barb. Our blinds stay open most of the time. We do use them for heat and cooling control, it helps witht he energy bill.
Most all of the time our living room blinds are open. We close the breakfast room blinds at night. Both these rooms face the back, out to the golf course. It does help that we live in a gated community.
Bedroom close as do the dining room after dark. People in passing cars see in too easily with the inside lights on.
Our front door has top-to-bottom glass with no curtains.
Sorry that I went on, but you asked. Now to your OSI.
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I'm a city boy and a former latch key kid. I've always locked doors and kept windows closed in any room that I wasn't actually using.
I only started sleeping with the bedrooom window open when my room was above the first floor.
I'm most definitely a blinds-open, let-the-sun-shine-in kinda gal and I can't wait for some better weather here in Connecticut so I can do just that. If the door has a screen door attached, you can bet your bottom dollar that's going to be open, too. I always figured that if anyone ever broke into my house, they'd feel so sorry for me that they would leave things rather than take them so I'm not real worried about break-ins. I've got nuthin'!
Not sure yet about my neighbors, I'll have to take a stroll around the neighborhood next nice day I've got time and see what I can see!
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