{"id":3477,"date":"2011-06-08T07:20:53","date_gmt":"2011-06-08T11:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/?p=3477"},"modified":"2011-06-08T07:20:53","modified_gmt":"2011-06-08T11:20:53","slug":"more-neighbors-late-spring-at-the-union-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/?p=3477","title":{"rendered":"More Neighbors: Late Spring at The Union Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome Back!\u00a0 So glad you returned.\u00a0 You must have enjoyed your first visit<\/a> and the second one<\/a>, too.\u00a0 I know a lot of the neighbors will be glad to see you.\u00a0 Though no one actually leaves the neighborhood, folks around here change their clothes, wearing sometimes their party and other times their workaday faces.\u00a0 Life here is never dull and the people who live in and around Union Center are glad when guests drop by.<\/p>\n

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Peacemakers, ready to reconcile<\/p><\/div>\n

A lot of passionate folk live and work in Union Center.\u00a0 You’ve gotta be able to hold your own around here.\u00a0 I dare you to walk down the street, past the many open-air cafes and shops, without overhearing a heated debate about everything from free markets or education policy, to the existence of God and everything in-between.\u00a0 Usually things stay calm, but sometimes tempers flare.\u00a0 When people live and work together rubbing elbows a lot, sparks can fly.\u00a0 That’s where these purple beauties get to work.\u00a0 There’s something about these tall, graceful irises that tends to cool hot heads.\u00a0 They know what to say and how to move the combatants from point A to B to resolve the disagreement.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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Sometimes, ya' gotta get hard-nosed<\/p><\/div>\n

We’ve learned that every community needs its own curmudgeon.\u00a0 Naysayers play an important role.\u00a0 It’s too easy, sometimes, to be caught up in ideas and optimism and the excitement of possibility.\u00a0 As fun as it is to speculate and imagine how wonderful things might be, you should balance it with a little hard-nosed reality.\u00a0 That’s what these prickly characters add to the community.\u00a0 They chime in, just when everybody is getting cozy and comfy with things, pointing out a potential problem or fallacy.\u00a0 This is valuable though not always fun.\u00a0 And by the way, don’t be fooled by their appearance.\u00a0 These cacti are big ole softies once you get past their prickly exterior.<\/p>\n

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Ballet Class<\/p><\/div>\n

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to walk by the Ballet Studio during a practice.\u00a0 The sweeping movements of the dancers, the elegant grace of their steps are sure to inspire.<\/p>\n

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Can't resist a cool dip on a hot day<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s no surprise that Union Center’s Parks and Recreation Department is such an integral part of the scene.\u00a0 In a way, the whole place is one big park.\u00a0 On a hot summer day, you’re likely to see some of the residents at the pool, often joined by a few ducks.\u00a0 I think it’s so telling that the lifeguards, these purple water irises, are cousins of the Mediator Irises.\u00a0 Maybe mediation and lifesaving go hand in hand?<\/p>\n

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Madame Prima Dona Bella<\/p><\/div>\n

Madame Prima Dona Bella brings a spark of old world charm and European sensuality to the neighborhood.\u00a0 We never know what she’ll wear or say or do next, but she adds a flair and color to this place (like it needs more).\u00a0 She loves to sit out on her porch dressed to the nines, greeting passersby and inviting them to stop for a civilized espresso and biscotti.<\/p>\n

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A global view in our own backyard<\/p><\/div>\n

These guys have a ball.\u00a0 The Alum Alumni are always ready for a little fun.\u00a0 They’re jokesters and pranksters who like to keep the rest of us on our toes.\u00a0 Irritating at moments, what they really do is help things from getting too serious around here.<\/p>\n

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Union Center Gone Green<\/p><\/div>\n

I wanted to take you back to the heart of Union Center in late spring to show how life doesn’t stop, though the spring finery does.\u00a0 The daffodils are long finished with their Easter Parade, that yellow riot of energy and joy, and have settled into their green scene.\u00a0 In some ways this is more intense, because they know their above-ground days are numbered.\u00a0 They’re harvesting solar now, taking a scythe to sunbeams, and socking it away for the move indoors.\u00a0 Focused and serious, they’ll still be glad to see you for a few minutes.\u00a0 Everybody needs a breather.<\/p>\n

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Energized and energizing at Union Center <\/p><\/div>\n

This shot is some weeks old now, obviously, considering the late, lingering tulips chatting with this hosta that just moved in.\u00a0 Like visiting a beach in the off-season, the late-Spring living in Union Center takes on a slow and easy, though possibly profound, pace.\u00a0 This suits the hosta perfectly.\u00a0 I love sipping lemonade while hearing what book they’re reading or thought they’re thinking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome Back!\u00a0 So glad you returned.\u00a0 You must have enjoyed your first visit and the second one, too.\u00a0 I know a lot of the neighbors will be glad to see you.\u00a0 Though no one actually leaves the neighborhood, folks around … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[498],"tags":[557,556,506,508],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3477"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3763,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3477\/revisions\/3763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thelifeliterary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}