I’ve decided that buying a house is a lot like having kids. When you decide to do it, everyone tells you what a big fat hairy adjustment it is, how much work and added responsibility it will require but that it’s totally worth it.
You think, “I’m sure it was a big adjustment for you because you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. I, on the other hand, have read What to Expect the first 10 Years For Every Personality Type, Secrets of a Woman Who Talks Very Softly to Small Children, Logical Love, and On Being Midget-Knowledgeable from cover to cover. I KNOW what I’m doing. I’ll actually get more done once the baby’s born because she’ll sleep all the time and I’ll have so much more energy once I’m not pregnant anymore.”
Then they’re born and you feel like you’ve been run over by a truck. What!? This was NOT what I expected. Yes, there are the sublime moments but those people were right. It is a TON of work. The work seems never to end. Your life will never be the same again and you have moments where you ask yourself, “Why did we do this to ourselves again?” The answer quickly comes and you know you would never go back on your decision, but you’d be lying to yourself if you said it wasn’t hard.
That is so much the way it’s been with this house so far. We’ve been here a week, spent thousands of dollars repairing things, buying new appliances, and lawn equipment. Add to all this the heat and the fact that a gelatinous blob of goob has taken over the upper third of my body and you’ve got a pretty rough week. (I’m really starting to wonder how I can blow my nose this many times. Where do I store all the goob? Is my brain so small that I can fit that much junk in my head?)
Then Karli came over a couple of days ago and helped me rediscover the things I love about my yard and house. She’s the kind of friend you need when you move into a new home. I will lend her out to you for a small fee. She pointed out every good thing about the floorplan and finishes. Then she took me on a tour of our wild backyard that I haven’t had time to explore.
Little Miss Horticulture discovered ripe strawberries, raspberries and blackberry vines. She found several rose bushes in full bloom, hidden behind the overgrown bamboo. I have an herb garden with dill and rosemary. There are morning glories, lilacs, lavender and a billion other gorgeous flowers.
This is the view from my bed in the morning.
This is what I see from my back fence.
Here is my hearth.
Where the cactuses will live.
The red doors.
And I’m glad we bought it. And I’m tired. And I’d love ideas for how to de-goob my head and lungs.
