Winter Flooding

Since moving back north nearly 15 years ago I have appreciated and more recently learned to enjoy winter. After all, after six years in Alabama it was my choice to move back to four seasons. I don’t particularly like the frigid temperatures, but most of what I don’t like is the long nights and the shortened hours of sunlight that comes with them. The past few winters in my old house were not good for my mental health. I sincerely began to think that I had S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder). I’ve found that running through winter helps, it warms me up and gets me closer to the sun’s rays. But it was during these past few winters that my desire to move into a different house took flight and drove me to convince my husband that the time to move into a different house had finally arrived.

This time last year I looked at the house I am living in now for the first time. I instantly noticed and fell in love with the flooding of sunshine that poured (and continues to) through the many windows and the skylight. After we moved in on January 31 I found myself staring into the snow-covered woods out my back door in awe of mother nature. 

Between the few short weeks that have past since turning our clocks back an hour I instantly fell back into my dread of the approaching shortened days. Then last week it snowed! The ground was covered and the sun reflected off the beautiful white blanket that was laid on my yard and in the woods. MY house, the house I fell in love with 10 months ago opened itself up to the flood and I’ve found that this past week I’ve been breathing easier even on these cold winter days that have arrived much sooner than in the past. I can’t recall the last time I was this excited to see snow.

Right Where I Belong

It’s been a whirlwind of a life between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I only went one place to shop on “Black Friday” and that was to the realtor’s office. We put an offer in on a house after seeing it the previous Sunday. On Sunday at the open house I had no intention of this being the house. The location was right, and that’s what mattered the most, still within the limits of my neighborhood of 12 years. Well, after spending 45 minutes in this house it was evident that it was indeed the house.

By the motivation of driving by the “new” house four times a day to get to and from my kids’ school we were able to get our house cleaned, de-cluttered and neutralized in just over a week’s time in order to get on the market. The “new” house can only be ours if we sell the house we are in now. I can honestly say I have only been as exhausted as I’ve been in the past three weeks two other times in my life: when I was pregnant!

Our “new” house is still within our trick or treating boundary and when I told a friend how close we were moving she laughed at the idea. My neighborhood is filled with neighbors with an abundance of kindness I thought only existed on TV. Yesterday I brought one of my neighbors, who I don't see very often who is in her 80s, mail that was accidentally delivered to me. WE were hurriedly heading to my kids’ concerts at school and then heading out of town.

She told me she and other neighbors were sad to see the “For Sale” sign go up in my yard. I had called a few close neighbors ahead of time, but not everyone. She said that she understood that our family needed more space and have outgrown our home. I told her where we'd be moving and how we looked at houses in other areas but they didn't feel right because I love this neighborhood. Her reply was simple, "That's because you belong here." She warmed my heart and made me feel so thankful for bringing the envelope to her door rather than simply giving it back to the mail carrier.

One of life's basic needs is the feeling of belonging.

May you all be where you feel you belong this holiday week.

Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes me Happy

I’ve often joked that in my next life I want to be a cat, so I can spend my day chasing sunbeams to nap in. I love the sun, but not in a skin cancer, leather –skin sort of way. I love the warmth of the sun, I love the glow of it. More than anything I love how on sunny days I smile more. I associate the sun with happiness and warmth. Winter in Wisconsin hasn’t been long, it’s just been dragging on. It’s only snowed regularly since January, but today it got cold again, there was a windchill of near zero when I woke up this morning, but it was sunny! When it’s this cold the clouds are frozen away leaving a bright, crisp, bright blue sky above. Tricking me into believing it’s warm outside and leaving me longing for a sunbeam to lie in.

The past few weeks, months even, I have been joking, but not really, just without a diagnosis that I am suffering from sun deprivation disorder; which technically is called seasonal affective disorder. There is no doubt in my mind that the professionals naming this illness started with the acronym and went from there. Along with this has been a desire to move. Not to Florida (ick! Never!), or back to Alabama or even another warm and sunny destination. No, just to a single-family house that has windows that natural light floods in through.

See, I live in a twindo. Not a condo, not a duplex, a twindo. I have an “other half” that is not my husband. Everything is separate, except we share a foundation wall that is separated with a one foot air space. The thing is my “other half” has the west facing wall and my east facing side has a view of the bluff, causing the sun not to come shining over until around 9:00 am. If you read a recent post about my house you’ll know that I do not love the layout of my house, but its’ location, and it does offer space and everything we need; not want, but need. But, I have to admit that the moving bug has bit because of the lack of sunlight spilling in through the windows this winter. Right now it’s 2:00 pm and I have no lights on in my house, my house is bright, but there are only two small sunbeams streaming in, so small and ineffective, that even my cat has chosen the comfort of the couch.

I made a promise to myself today. As soon as it is warm enough outside, at this point 40 degrees will do, I am going outside, tilting my head up to the sky and basking in the sun. Besides, I’m not entirely convinced that reincarnation exists, so why wait.

This House

3 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. Eat-in kitchen. Living room. Guest room. Playroom. Laundry room. Workshop. 2-car garage. Simply put my house sounds huge and plenty of room for my family of four.

Let me put it another way.

2 bedrooms on the main level, one in the finished basement with an egress window. 2 bathrooms so small it’s a tight fit for two people, the counters in each are only two hair products/soap dispensers wide on either side. Eat in kitchen, yes, with a table that’s too large for the room so that sitting down I can reach to the silverware drawer and the refrigerator if necessary. Oh, and there’s no walking comfortably around any of the chairs. Living room is comfortable, but the furniture only allows it to be set up one way. Guest room is in the basement with no windows, so legally not a bedroom; guests sleep really well though. Playroom, also in the basement with no windows; even the bright paint on the wall doesn’t draw the kids in. Laundry room with counter and cabinets is great, no complaints there. Workshop is the size of a large rectangle walk-in closet, next to the bedroom in the basement with no ventilation. 2-car garage with “stuff” hanging from every wall and the ceiling; in some places when the cars are out I have to duck so I don’t hit a bike tire.

My number one pet peeve, especially this time of year is the lack of natural light coming in. Last year I actually moved my bed one-foot (the only space available) closer to the window.

Two nights ago while I was having a pity party for myself, centered around my house not being big enough or having the right layout, or enough light I reread some old blogs and came across this one from May 2011 at which point I put myself back into my place.

First World Problems.

• I have my own washing machine and room devoted to it.

• I have not one, but two bathrooms with clean running water and working toilets.

• My kids each have their own bedrooms and so many toys they have a playroom.

• We have a garage filled with “toys”; skis, bikes, rollerblades, sleds, scooters, helmets, sports balls of every kind, etc.

• My husband is skilled enough to turn a closet into a workshop and fill it with tools and supplies that he knows how to use to fix and build things around our house.

• I can’t rearrange my living room furniture because there are enough comfortable seats for my family and friends to sit on.

• My kitchen table is big enough to fit friends and family around. It is filled with food and supplies to feed my family with no worry on when the food will run out.

• I live in a town with fresh air and sunlight, that I want more of.

Location:

Views of the bluff, across from a park and bike path, world class, grade A neighbors.

It’s all in the way you look at things. If you don’t like what you se,e change your perspective! Oh, that and real estate is all about location, location, location!