BY THE LITTLE DANCING BROOK, IN SOUTH YARMOUTH, ON CAPE COD, THE RANCHES ARE IN BLOOM

BY THE LITTLE DANCING BROOK, IN SOUTH YARMOUTH, ON CAPE COD, THE RANCHES ARE IN BLOOM

CAPE COD - On Dancing Brook Road, in "much sought after Brookhaven", right smack in the middle of Cape Cod, there are perhaps two hundred very similar little two to three bedroom ranches, all built within a few years of each other in the early 1970's.

Since I was a kid growing up Hyannis I have loved driving through developments all over Cape Cod as they 'matured', to see changes that time (and individuality) bring -- certain properties get bigger and nicer, some go to hell, some don't seem to change at all.

The type of neighborhood where we live, near the crossing of Forest and Winslow Gray, north of 28, with it's profusion of well kept ranches, really isn't typical for Cape Cod (where there are a lot of custom Capes), though there some in West Yarmouth, South Yarmouth, South Dennis, East Dennis and in nearby Centerville. The grand daddy of all Cape ranch neighborhoods, Captain's Village, is four streets north of us.

At this time of year, when the flowers have started to bloom, bushes and trees leaf out and mulch is being spread, a drive around my neighborhood (we call it "the Brooks", only real estate agents call it "much sought after Brookhaven"), shows its pride of ownership, but a number of once nice homes have fallen behind the times.

Unlike in many areas, our deteriorating homes aren't caused so much by foreclosure (bank owned properties do seem to have a certain "look" about them, don't they?), but rather by the very natural process of aging, that is, folks getting old.

In most cases, the homeowner is elderly. Their spouse has long since passed away, the cost of upkeep has become too much, the 'kids' are too busy (and getting too old to help), and the grand kids are great, but only good for so much!!

Some homeowners have passed away, intestate, so the house sits empty, awaiting the process, flowers pushing through piles of leaves, strong, handsome weeds sprouting among the broken branches on the lawn.

In others, the owner is in rehab, a nursing home, or sometimes, an assisted living facility (we have a great selection here on Cape Cod). The house is a question mark, stray daffodils here and there, dandelions sprouting, shades drawn. The question? Did the owner plan for this stage of life, or will their house go to pay for their care? How long will this go on? How bad will it get for this little house?

The happy colors of the spring flowers in my neighborhood by the little Dancing Brook in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod cheer me after the long winter, but the decay reminds me of my own aging. Have we planned well for our future? How will our little house by the Dancing Brook look in a Spring many, many years from now?

On Steve Gregory's web site [Mom's House on the Cape] you'll find Cape Cod Resources for Aging, Assisted Living, Elder Law, Estate Planning and Real Estate. On his Facebook Page you'll find current information on assisted living, elder law, real estate etc., plus Mom's Recipe Box and Dad's Tool Box. Check it out.