I work from my sister's cafe and hear her introduce me to all her regulars, "GROVER! That's my sister from AMSTERDAM!" It is a tap on my shoulder or a gasp and OH HELLO!!! all day long with kind hearted people stopping by my table to tell me how much they love my sister, how proud she is of me, how often they have travelled to Europe, and their jokes or travel stories about Amsterdam. It makes me feel so warm and so at home.
It is so strange that me and my two sisters, who were raised in Texas, have found home in Central Pennsylvania. This is where I would go during breaks in college (never to Texas). A flight was too expensive and my sisters were here. So, Reading, PA became my new home.
In the past 15 tears, I joked that it was the "Dutch Pennsylvania" connection until I realised that Dutch Pennsylvania actually means German. Don't ask, I can't explain. I went to the farmer's market with my brother in law and tried to make a joke to the Amish person selling cheese that I wanted the "Gouda". I pronounced it with the Amsterdammer gutteral G, "GGGOWDA!". There was not even a smirk in reponse.
On this trip, it has been so nice to be comforted by the love of my sisters. There is so much going on right now, that I really am appreciating the warmth here. They also joke how much I exercise, so most people in cafe know if I am not sitting at my work spot, I am likely at the Crossfit gym, or, as my sister would shout across the cafe, "she's probably on her third walk of the day, because if she isn't working out ,she's walking. She likes to walk".
On my "third walk of the day", I noticed the random lawn decor found in Central PA. Regardless of the season, it is quite common here to find two story-sized skeletons. You will find this in all neighbourhoods. Trust me, I have walked them. These three photos were on one lawn. Just one. And, what made me laugh hardest all day, was the introduction of Big Foot.
The skeleton is the sort of a "lawn neutral". Kinda like wearing black as a base in fashion and accessorising from there. Or, for my fashion, it is camo. I wear camo as a neutral and build from there. That is the lawn skeleton, they are decorated with seasonal accessories. The skeleton dressed like Santa. The skeleton dressed like a leprechaun. The skeleton is the lawn neutral.
