Beside the Babbling Brook

A brook can be a friend in a special way. It talks to you with splashy gurgles. It cools your toes and lets you sit quietly beside it when you don't feel like speaking.
~Joan Walsh Anglund, A Friend is Someone Who Likes You

This morning I went with a friend to look through a house in walking distance from my current home that she may be interested in buying. Before I even entered, as I stood on the front curb, it tugged at my heart. Despite the dismal, lifeless winter, you could sense love all around the home. A tiny front garden was carefully landscaped and included this beautiful rock garden. My photo doesn't capture it well, but the three tall stones are fountains with soft streams of water flowing down around them.

An open, gourmet kitchen, stone fireplace, expansive windows, rough wood beams, character-filled bedrooms with slanted ceilings and cozy nooks, a sauna, pool, and an exercise room all contribute to the appeal. Then you walk out to the deep backyard garden and there was a lovingly tended koi pond next to which the owners had built a darling stone "party shack" including a covered front porch, small inside sitting area, large windows, a bar, and guest toilet. Perfect for outdoor entertaining!

But then take a walk beyond the garden to the gate at the edge of the property, and you find yourself at a playful, clear bubbling brook. My kids would spend countless happy hours splashing in that little creek or sitting beside it cooling their toes and enjoying the shade of the evergreens. Having grown up with a brook in the woods of my own backyard and a sailboat on the Hudson in New York, I have a special fondness for all rivers and streams. To live right beside one again would be like having by best friend next door.

I don't know if this will be the right house for my friend and her family. I'd love to have them so close. But I certainly enjoyed touring the place and hope one day they find a home that speaks to their hearts like this one did to mine :)