Place

My place is my parents’ backyard in south Eugene. My family moved to that house the year I turned ten and I spent hours roaming the fence line and inspecting all the trees and bushes. I learned the names of the plants, and found the most peaceful nooks. One year we bought my dad a telescope for Father’s Day and began spending nights out on the deck stargazing as a family, I saw the rings of Saturn from our deck. Several years ago I helped my dad tear out the old wood deck and we built a patio. I haven’t lived at that house since we built the patio, so my associations with the patio are all of vacation, relaxation, long mornings sitting in the sun, drinking tea and reading, or chatting with my mom, watching the wanderings of the cats and dogs, and the flutterings of hummingbirds. The backyard is the place where I feel connection to and ownership of a place and to my family.