I had just pulled out of my driveway this morning when I noticed a woman and child walking toward their car in our parking lot. I stopped and lowered my window. Can I help you? I asked. I was hoping to find someone, but I must be too early. The office doesn’t open for another half hour, but maybe I can help you. I live here, and sometimes they let me help out in the […]
My neighbor, Joe, was out with his iPhone this morning and spotted this visitor, a praying mantis. Equal parts artsy and scary, these photos are guaranteed to wake you up quickly on a Monday morning. We know how to have fun with the smallest things in my neighborhood. It’s how we roll here at Maples at the Sonatas.
I still remember the woman who wouldn’t get out of the car. She and her husband were driving around on a Sunday afternoon, looking at model homes. But he walked into our sales office alone. “My wife won’t come in,” he said a little sheepishly. “She refuses to live this far out.” I never found out if she considered Woodstock too far from Chicago, too far from its suburbs, or too far from wherever else […]
There was nothing I wanted to do more this morning than stay home and watch the show. So I made a couple of calls to rearrange my schedule, grabbed a cup of coffee and my camera, and settled in my sun room. Construction of Building 3, a quad across the driveway from me, shifted into high gear this morning and stayed there for several hours. Come on in and join me. Prepare to learn a […]
This has been a busy social week here at Maples at the Sonatas. Very early Sunday morning, we gathered for star gazing and meteor watching. Then Tuesday afternoon, our book club discussed Beautiful Ruins, a novel complex enough to generate stimulating ideas. Last night, it was pure indulgence at our annual ice cream social. And the week is not over yet. Late this afternoon, we have Poolside, a popular TGIF event held—where else?—at our pool. […]
Last Friday, my blog reached its six-month milestone. On Feb. 9, Home Sweet Abbey debuted with a post titled, “My Journey Home.” In it, I told how I spent three years casually, sporadically, looking at homes here at Maples at the Sonatas. It took me that long to work up my courage to make the commitment. Once I did, I spent less than two weeks making my purchase. That same “delay-delay-delay-hurry up” pattern must be […]
Some experiences are so grand that they beg to be shared with others. That is why I was happy to see 15 or so neighbors gather in our pool area at midnight last night. We were there to enjoy another Maples first—a Perseid meteor shower watch. Thank you to Sylvia for coming up with the concept and organizing it. After the pool lights went out, the others became dark shapes wrapped in blankets lying back […]
I was sitting down at my computer to begin writing this post when an email came in. It was from Kathy, in our sales office, and began with this greeting: “Hi Neighbors.” The thing is, she isn’t—technically—our neighbor. But it sure feels like she is. And Kathy couldn’t have given me a more perfect lead-in to this post. I’d like to introduce you to Kathy and three other people, each of whom meets all of […]
Most of us here at Maples at the Sonatas would not use adjectives like peaceful and easy to describe our neighborhood this summer. When we hear the word growth, we think of sales and construction and closings—all of which have been fast and furious. But quietly, unobtrusively, another kind of growth is happening. This is the sweet, silent, delicious growth of plants in our community garden. Located near our parking lot—and directly across the street […]
If the forecast is right, today will be our hottest day yet…but also the last before a break from the 90s. With this is mind, I’ve saved my heat-beating big guns for this moment. Remember back to February 2011. It was my first winter here at Maples at the Sonatas—a memorable one that delivered our third biggest snowstorm ever. It was known as the Groundhog Day Blizzard, and, to use Groundhog Day lingo, it was […]
When it’s 91 degrees before noon, you know the afternoon is going to be another scorcher. So my heat-beater for today is the simplest of all. Stay inside in the air conditioning whenever possible. That’s what I’m doing, and my cat Angie loves having me home with her. I sat down with a tall glass of ice water and The Tribune this morning, ready to take it easy. But I had neglected to put my […]
The heatwave continues. So do my posts trying to combat it with cool thoughts, pictures, places, and people. Here is my heat-beater for today. Tipsy stays cool(er) on her afternoon walk by hitching a ride with her human, Ray. This smart pooch will not be setting one paw on the hot sidewalk or asphalt driveway.
It was 92 degrees of hot and humid in Woodstock today. In other words, it was a perfect afternoon to watch a good movie in our cool, dark clubhouse. Last week the Maples book club met to discuss Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Today we gathered to watch the film of the book. Our timing couldn’t have been better, as 11 members and two husbands spent a comfortable, companionable afternoon together. Wouldn’t you […]
Hello. I’m Angie, Caryl’s cat. I’m here to give you my own feline view of this house where we live. If you want to get the unvarnished truth, always ask a cat. We’re known for our independence. I was not so sure about this moving thing when Caryl first brought it up. I liked where we lived just fine. It had been my habitat for nine years, and I was comfortable there. I had stairs […]
Every time I go in or out of my garage, I pass by these glorious hydrangeas. Not having planted them, I take no credit. The little bushes were here when I came. Now in their fourth season, my, how they have grown. Their location is perfect. I can even see them from my bed when I wake up in the morning. Home Sweet Abbey just became a little sweeter!
When I asked Cathie if she would let me blog about her experiences moving to her new home, I got a whole lot more than I expected. I thought I’d do perhaps three casual interviews with her and write up each as a post. The three posts ended up being eight, as her story took more twists and turns than either of us ever imagined. And there was no interviewing involved. Cathie emailed me each […]
Yesterday, after a 4+ hour closing, Cathie received her long-awaited keys to her new home. She is anxious to get settled but will write an update soon.
It has been two weeks since Cathie last updated us on her purchase of a new Portico here in Maples at the Sonatas and her move from Texas. At that time, she was still in Abilene but was about to load her belongings on a truck for the move to Woodstock. When I look down my street this morning, I see her home, but Cathie still isn’t there. She explains why in this latest installment […]
At 11:30 yesterday morning, I am getting ready to help Carol in the sales office, filling in for her assistant, Kathy, who is on vacation. I have done this before, and Sunday’s hours are only noon to 5. This’ll be easy, I tell my cat Angie. But then I look out a window and see there is already a car in the parking lot. Without taking time to change into more professional clothing, I hurry […]
For those of us who live in the midst of it, the rapid growth of Maples at the Sonatas has almost become old news. It takes someone who is here only occasionally to really notice it. I’ve had two groups of visitors in the past two weeks who have reminded me just how much and how quickly our neighborhood is expanding. First, there was the visit from my brother and sister-in-law, who live in the […]
Home Sweet Abbey 