This month is flying by! Back to June 12,2020
GATEKEEPERS! LIONS! 
McMansions!
“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”
— Terry Pratchett
For weeks now, as I have been wandering through my neighborhood, I have walked by the gatekeepers, the guardian lion statues standing sentinel at the entrance or flanking entry ways. I rarely noticed them before. Now I see them everywhere. They are guarding grand entrances.
Perhaps their stateliness is what makes them interesting to me, that and the fact that they are the king of beasts.
As we all know, there are many different types of outdoor decorations to enhance the appearance of your space. However, when it comes to beauty, elegance and power, the guardian lion yard statue is eloquent. 
Human beings have acknowledged the lion as the king of beasts.
It is quite a majestic animal.
Whether placed in front of a door, by a staircase, or gate entrance, the lion remains true to itself as a symbol of honor, respect, and power, and can even be seen. The lion has not lost its position. These are a home decor that stand out among the Mellenthin homes in my neighborhood.
What has piqued my interest is what symbolic meaning they must make. Perhaps it is to guard the entrance from evil eyes and spirits. In some cultures they symbolize power and prestige, courage, strength, wealth and riches.
You usually see the lion statue in front of the Armenian homes that dot southern California, of which make up part of my North Hollywood, eclectic neighborhood a moderately diverse one.
They began changing the neighborhood as evidenced by the McMansions, a Persian Palace or starter castle of sorts with Palladian windows and ornate front doors, among the smaller houses, a bewildering sort of architectural style.
They do not blend in with the generally single story, cookie cutter homes around them.
Today North Hollywood is a moderately diverse city.
As of 2018 statistics, its population consists of roughly 66% Latino of any race, 34% white Anglo (primarily Armenian), 6% Asian and 3% black.
One does not have to be a missionary in a foreign country because the foreign country is in my back yard.
Walking can turn into a ministry.
The landowners next door are preparing the house for our new neighbors.
The neighborhood continues to call.
I discovered a new “secret” garden this morning as I increased my perimeter. That will have to be posted tomorrow.
The term neighborhood has many meanings and uses but I read somewhere that if you can’t walk to it, you are out of your neighborhood.
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