And Her Shoes Were Number Nine

I met my prayer walking partner at the same starting place for today's walk.  This time, we crossed Quail Ave and walked in the neighborhoods between S Kentucky and S Hampshire from 17th to 9th Streets.  This area of Mason City is more established than the neighborhood we walked yesterday.  As we walked, I prayed for blessings on the neighbors here.  Homes were generally smaller and less architecturally distinct than homes in the neighborhoods near the hospital.  Most were ranch style or small cottage/box shaped homes.

Because the weather was so beautiful, there were many people out.  We saw a number of people walking dogs, sitting on porches, mowing lawns, and reading books in the sun.  Also, elementary school had just gotten out, so there were many kids heading home with backpacks, lunch boxes and siblings.  This was a lively neighborhood.  We passed a garage sale, but neither of us had money to spend on a circular saw or clothes.  We also passed a community garden and recycling center in the midst of this neighborhood.

Community Garden

Recycling Center

One thing that has struck me as peculiar here in Mason City is the unequal distribution of sidewalks.  Along some streets, we would start on a sidewalk and end up crossing a stranger's lawn in order to stay off the streets.  My walking partner said that she hates to do that.  She worries that the owner of the home may get angry and come yell at her to get off the grass.  I told her I worry about the same thing, but that I have heard from someone without a sidewalk in front of her house that she prefers a trail across the edge of her yard to the responsibility of shoveling snow all winter.

This brings to mind a strong diffidence to "trespass."  As I walk these walks, I often hesitate to stop and really look at a home.  I worry that it is rude to take pictures of a flower bed or interesting yard decorations.  I feel more confident walking in the street than in treading on someone's grass.  It is easy to say "good morning" to a stranger walking her dog past me, but much more difficult to stop and strike up a conversation with the man in his lawn chair reading the newspaper and watching the street.  Maybe this is a growing edge as we continue walking these streets, getting a foot's-eye view of Mason City.

Habitat for Humanity House?

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