the alley

Just a few houses up we have an alley.  The kids use the alley every day going to and from school, Chad uses the alley to go to work and I use the alley to go to all of the above places.  The alley has a feel about it.  It's lined with corrugated metal, fences and plants.  It feels secluded.  Like all good alleys it has its share of trash - old pop cans, food wrappers and other garbage.  There is a backyard with a fence bordering the alley.  The resident's personal garbage heap takes up the far corner.  We have counted at least 7 cats in the backyard at one time.  There is a distinct alley smell - garbage, rotten fruit, rain and smoke.  At night I walk quickly with my mace ready.  I have only needed to use the alley in the dark a few times.  I will never let the kids walk it in the dark.  The fear of a dog rather than a person is what keeps me out of the alley at dark.  When I walk the alley alone, I am taken back to the street we stayed on in Zambia.  The same smells, the same look, the same feel - only a different time in a different place.

No worries - Kris