How I Get By -- The Value in the Natural Setting

You must understand something. I live in a small city in Upstate New York in a run down section of town that some would call a ghetto, urban blight. I prefer to view it as aged, a character that has survived the French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the coming of the railroads, two World Wars, the rise and fall of the local GE factory and lastly the devaluation of American Made goods. I'll admit that the noise and dirt in this neighborhood can sometimes be disconcerting, but I deeply appreciate its history and its natural surroundings. All one has to do is stand at the top of my street and the breathtaking view of the Helderbergs can readily be seen. The tree in the front yard is one of the few left standing on this side of the street and it provides a luscious green cover during the summer months. I have perennials in the front and back of my postage stamp yard. Each day of this early spring I have been able to view the progress of these beauties. The Solomon's Seal is beginning to bloom and the Pink Columbines that seeded their way into the cracks of my foundation are on the verge of blooming again. The tulips beneath the rose bushes create a wreath.