OUR HOUSE....IS A VERY, VERY, VERY FINE HOUSE

The other evening a mama was strolling around the neighborhood with her brood while I was outside working in the yard, and I heard one of the little girls say, "Oh, what a beautiful house!"

I figured she was gazing at the lavish remodel on the corner across the street. A ton of money has recently been pumped into this old Victorian that is now a wonderful showplace fixed up by a wonderful couple of retirees.

But as I got within eyeshot of the walkers, I saw the girl standing in front of Casa de la Flaming Bore, admiring some flowers.

"Come on," her mother coaxed the straggler.

"But this house is beautiful," she said again before joining the others.

Now, I'm not so naive as to think our one-bedroom bungalow is "beautiful," but we try to maintain a bit of curb appeal, and I'm glad a toddler can appreciate what our little yard has to offer. Such "stop and smell the flowers" moments are not easy to come by, so my aching back and I thank that wee one for the compliment.