Under Contract

The For Sale sign in our next door neighbor’s yard now says, “Under Contract.” I’m still in a kind of denial.

Sonya has been our longest neighbor since I have lived here. We share a wall with her. We could hear banging they were redoing her kitchen, She could hear Richard playing electric guitar. We once discovered we were sharing a mouse and put our heads together pretty quickly to put an end to that situation...

Our neighbor loves dogs and has always had several, mostly rescues. She is an expert in dog training and has worked with other people’s dogs as well. The sight of her out and about with her four legged friends is part of what has made our neighborhood home for me. She once had a dog she trained to answer commands in Japanese. My young daughter was impressed that a German Shepherd could master Japanese!

Sonya and I have shared a love of the natural world. I’ve enjoyed her beautiful photographs taken during her many local walks. Deer, rabbits, birds, even tiny, tiny toads...all are beautiful in her eyes and worthy of her attention. She helped me realize what scenic vistas are available to us here, right in our own backyards.

Everyone should experience the joy of having a friendly, welcoming, nonjudgmental neighbor. Throw in a sense of humor, a heart of gold, good solid common sense and a childhood of Columbia memories and you’d have Sonya: the best nextdoor neighbor ever.

Wishing her happiness in her new ventures and her new home. Hoping our new neighbor likes guitar.