What about you?

Yes, I'm a strange guy. In that I need my cocoon. My little niche. My place to retreat. To be alone. Now that Jeanne is gone. That is, her physical presence is gone. I still connect with her spirit. By turning inward. That's the way I keep her alive. And that's a little like being in paradise. I've learned to make my physical environs a little paradise. My home. On the lake. Over the years, I've planted lots of trees. Some with memories. Like the huge mugho pine tree. Planted on the grave of one of our dogs, Paco. The tree was in a 1 gallon container. And now it's 30 feet tall. A beautiful and perfect tree. That's what Paco has become. And indoors, I have a 10-foot ficus tree. And a 5-foot Norfolk pine. And I have high-ceilings in the living room. A ceiling of tongue-in-groove boards stained walnut. And stone-look floors of vinyl throughout the house. And I've got a score of lamps with amber bulbs. So I have soft and warm lighting. And a dozen radios. All tuned to the classical FM station. So that music comes from every direction. And I have bird houses and bird feeders. Inside and outside. Hanging from the ceilings. And from the eaves. And in the trees. Maybe 200 birdhouses. I'll have to count them some day. Whenever I'm at a thrift store, and I see a bird house for $1 or $2, I can't pass it up. I bring it home. The same goes for books. I have far more books than I can read. Maybe that's my incentive to live a long life. So I can read more and more books. I have turned virtually all of the walls in the house into book shelves. I need a ladder to reach many of the books. Maybe I have more books than some smal town libraries. But over the years, I've created an environs that makes me comfortable. Books and birdhouses and music and a lake and wetlands and trees. And for so many years, Jeanne. In a sense, I create my own little world. My little paradise. I live comfortably. But not extravagantly. What about you? --Jim Broede