 |
| The view of Fremont's hills from my kitchen window |
Some things you can just count on: October 31 will always be Halloween; December 25 will always mean it's Christmas day; and January 1 will forever be the start of a new year. And May 17 in Fremont, California, always marks the end of green hills.
No matter how lush they are throughout the spring, our signature green hills always turn utterly, completely, and unmistakably wheat-brown by May 17—up until this year, anyway. It’s such a random date that I never would have remembered except that it was the birthday of our long-ago friend and realtor Sterling Nicolaysen.
It was late April 1987, and we were about to close on the purchase of our first house that Sterling helped us find. We had lived here just one year and had become enamored with the city’s beautiful, verdant hills. Choosing a home in the same place as those hills seemed a smart move on our part and added to our buyer satisfaction. But Sterling, having lived here much longer than we had, warned us that, no matter what, the hills never stayed green long enough to usher in his birthday. And he was right, up until today.
Don’t ask me what it means. All I know is that some things you think will never change do change—right before your eyes—and you can’t do a thing about it. I guess, in the end, we can count on change. At least this is a change I can enjoy.
That's funny because I noticed today as we were driving home that it was very late in the year for the hills to still be green.
ReplyDeleteAnd you live right up against them, lucky girl!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Grandpa was your realtor. I am helping compile a history of him with my cousins. I will add this to the collection! ~Valerie (Nicolaysen) Brodie
ReplyDelete