New House

 Redwood City - Back in time? Prior to purchasing my house almost 20 years ago the residence sat vacant for a couple of years, so considering the neighborhood I wasn't surprised to discover a young family with their elderly grandmother living in our potting shed? We had been forewarned by our real estate agent about the situation, however; circumstances dictated we move in immediately. In my youth I traveled through Mexico and saw many things I had never experienced before so I was somewhat prepared for this situation. The home next to mine was also vacant with a larger backyard allowing my tenant's access for their several goats and numerous chickens. The family was aware our new home had been listed on the market and had prepared to move out when that day came. Chickens in our kitchen was almost a daily occurrence and one evening I woke up in the middle of the night staring at one of their goat's chewing the local newspaper it found in our living-room, to this day I still can't figure out how it got in? One late morning after returning from the dump I noticed a very large congregation lined up in front of my house leading to the backyard. The mood was somber and my backyard family appeared very distraught. As I made my way through the crowd and livestock leading toward the  backyard I noticed a local catholic priest preforming a ceremony. Sometime overnight the elderly grandmother had died and was now being laid to rest in my future tomato patch. I'm pretty much open to a lot of things but I do draw the line regarding a cemetery in my backyard, at least nowadays. Well after numerous phone calls and some wrangling with the city grandma was removed and is now peacefully at rest in a local city cemetery. My new family got jobs at a nearby recycling center and found an apartment through the church. You know, I never did plant those tomatoes in that spot because from that day on I always felt it was sacred place.