Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Eden

Husband has been making small noises lately about buying another house in a few years, something bigger to accommodate a third child we want to have without kids having to share rooms. Plus I know he wants a place to unpack all the precious stuff he inherited from his folks. There's still quite a number of things crammed into a storage unit that will stay there for the indefinite future. For Husband, there's also the issue of wise investment. Adding onto this house doesn't make economic sense in that we'd be unlikely to recoup all the expenses of an addition if we sell it down the road. We've lived in this house for about 3 years now and are otherwise quite settled and happy with both the space and with our neighborhood. I keep telling him I don't want to move, but I don't think he realizes I'm serious.

I'm probably one of the few Americans out there who really prefers just enough house and no more. We have no rooms we don't use in this house--no formal dining room, no "family room" that is in addition to a den (a pairing I've never really understood under one roof anyway), no guest room, no bathroom that doesn't get heavy use. Sure, I could use some more closet space, but who couldn't? And our neighborhood is one of those where people actually walk their kids to school, and everyone pretty much knows who everyone else is, even if it's just enough to say "Good morning." For those reasons alone, it's hard for me to feel motivated to move.

But the biggest reason of all is my garden. Husband's only foray into yardwork is maintenance--mowing the lawn, the occasional pruning (which he's slacked off doing for the last year since I give him such hell about not doing it right), picking up sticks and pinecones, that sort of thing. I, on the other hand, have planted literally hundreds of perennials, bulbs, and shrubs. The more I plant, the less likely I am to give up our little home without a big fight. I'm not sure that Husband understands how much this means to me, and I'm also unsure that I can articulate how much. He may very well believe it's just plants, and we can dig up and take with us anything really special, or we can always just plant some more, in some other yard surrounding a bigger house.

Shouldn't your home be more than just an investment? Does the emotional investment not count for something? To me, this little place of ours is nothing short of my own little Eden. I just don't want to live anywhere else right now. Period.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh, Sugarmama, i hear ya! our first house was so, so so dear to me! the one we're in now is twice the size, but there was something so special about that house, and the mature trees and lovely shaded backyard. if we hadn't outgrown it with all the kids i just never would have left it! i still drive by and smile at it!

cubmommy said...

I know where you are coming from. My mother-in-law has turned her backyard into a beautiful garden. She has spent a lot of time creating it and I don't see her ever leaving this house. It is very special place.

VenturaMom from said...

I love my small house! When I go into those awful tract homes I see giant white walls and lots of wasted space. At our house, every bit of space is used and enjoyed. Home is where your heart is...

Mommygoth said...

Bwah haha ha- pruning.

I love your house, so I totally understand why you do too.

Dani said...

Sugarmama, you have acheived what we all strive for, an emotional connection to our abode. Kudos for you. Admittedly, I don't feel that connection to my current home, but hope one day that I do.

Julie Marsh said...

I'm with you - I don't want more house than I need. We have plenty of space now, and I can find a use for all of it without feeling cramped.

If we hadn't HAD to sell the old place in order to relocate, I think we would have procrastinated until the very last moment (i.e., a week before kindergarten started - terrible public schools in our old neighborhood). We considered selling at one point when the market was kicking up, and we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We loved that place.

Nettie said...

I feel the same way about my gardens, every one that I've ever left. We always seem to move just as the perrenials have gotten big enough to show their glory. I just hope that those who've followed appreciate the little beauty I've left behind....