Sketch of 2 Philanthropists Shopping for a House in New Jersey’s Wishing Well

Written in Bernards, NJ; b/t ~ Thursday September 10th & Saturday, September 19th, 2020

“This old house of ours is built on dreams,” as Neil Young wrote & sang with Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

The two spouses agreed their first… house… needn’t be a peacockish mansion…per se, …but…dear readers, the elixir soul that is, one might say, art’s meaningfulness, mattered very much to our mister & missus… or missus & mister, if you prefer… & thus/ & so they hoped for a home that was a house that showed a masterpiece glow…both “within” …& upon & along the form of its skeleton & the softness of its skin,…quite like a jazzy person’s ascot. Yes,…our couple espoused, they professed, (they were nearly obsessed, but through a positive lens) an outlook that a house…ought…to reflect a sense of an architect’s free & critical thought @ its best! Or, to use the way the husband conveyed the idea to his wife, their “dream forever home should express & project & represent our…aesthetics… & way of life.”

Concretely speaking, they prioritized space, …in & outside…so she could garden & landscape,so that he could dreamily gaze… at the intensely beautiful mountain chains within the beautiful mountain range & so that every, or nearly, every day, they, along with their dogscould run around and play. (“if dogs run free, then why not we?” Bob Dylan sang.) Their bodies would thank them for the fill of daily exercise & fun, helping keep the body weight @ bay (hills they could run up & down; hills ripe for for sledding…when the snowstorms profoundly crown everything around).

So, which place/places did our lovely couple — so anxious to move on the double — suspect would best reflect their geographic aesthetics?…North Westish New Jersey — …the pearl inside the state’s shell, an ever noble & hopeful Northern belle, wearing her aventurine green, amber, & opal… New Jersey’s wishing well!