Some of you may have gathered I am preparing for a move to Chicago…Yes, I know, God (d*mn) Chicago!! Hahaha. I will be in the land of Obama, gulp. Already having spent several weekends there looking at exorbitant housing prices and needing to live near a metra station, this is going to tax me, literally!! I will probably be paying 200k more for the size house and location to fit our needs. Mind, I was willing to sacrifice and go smaller, but the Master was not. (I say Master in jest).
I grew up in a place where privacy was at a premium and it was just how things were. Yep, our kiddies are spoiled, but, I guess I am, too. I have always teased Master about him building me a little shack in the backyard that’s all for me, me, me because no matter where I am, I have zero, zip, nada privacy. I have to hide things like scissors, clippers, make-up, jewelry. Even my shoes and clothes are not safe. Nor is a little squirreled away treat. Somehow, all five family members seem to encroach! Such is the life in a family of six.
Today as I sit here holding an open house, waiting for a nosy neighbor or two to pop in…and I mean nosy in a good way, I feel overwhelmed. The neighbors who want to move up in the land of house, will come in and I play realtor. I am selling it myself, so I just introduce myself, “Nee, ProMarketing Investments, Welcome.”
And, then I have to try hard not to tell them all the things I will miss about my home. The awesome country kitchen, with a wood burning fireplace in the kitchen that smells like the oak we burned when spring rolls around…my screened in patio that becomes a ceramic- heated space with Christmas tree during the holidays for a nighttime glass of wine…my birds tweeting around the filled squirrel zapping feeder. Whenever one gets zapped off, I laugh and hope the neighbors aren’t into PETA!) Or the US flag flapping outside the kitchen window as I fill my coffee cup and makes me swell with pride inside…that certain peace that I feel every morning in this, MY kitchen, when everyone has left to start the day. How it felt when the kitchen was finally redone and I left to go run some errands, got a mile down the road and turned around just to go back and sit in it with another cup of joe and enjoy the sunlight streaming in.
Ouch.
Rather I have to say, unattached…“The features of this house include a first floor master, hearts of pine flooring, a huge laundry room, walk-in pantry, 4 bedrooms upstairs, 2 full baths, plus an office, a bonus room, 3 (count ‘em 3) skylights and walk-in attic space. There is potential for a second floor master with a separate bath and a large closet, too. The architectural shingled roof, hardi-plank siding and gutters were brand new in 2004, as was the kitchen and the appliances. The whole interior has been repainted and there are 3 zones of heating/cooling. The HVAC units were upgraded and replaced in ‘00, ‘02. Don’t forget to take a peak at the huge linen closet, too. If you have any questions, feel free. Oh, and the carpeting upstairs is brand spanking new. (wah!!)
When I retreat so they can do their wandering, I am thinking, “Please let this be the person who will want to buy my house and love it as much as we do.” Until the Master calls and says, “I think I found us a rental until the house sells.” Half of me is excited that one stress just might be done with. The other half of me that stayed objective, up beat and very practical, starts to blubber uncontrollably when I say, “Well, I’m not so sure when the movers can make it happen. I have two estimates tomorrow.” As I sit here and type, I am pretty sad…for myself and the kids about actually leaving. I thought I might be done with wussing and having to “suck it up” as the phrase goes. Instead, I look around and in the annals of my mind, I remember standing right over “there” when the baby strung together this question in his husky little voice, “Da-ddy? Mommy coming?( as in, too?) Or how with swollen feet (from the birth of the baby), in this big kitchen on Millenium Eve, I called my Gram for Aunt Emma’s Ginger cookie recipe, determined to bake something. The master and the ‘others” were out gathering supplies for the evening of festivities…Ouch. The memories will always be in my heart, I know. And, after all, Home is where the heart is.
Would you like to see my “heart”?