Category Archives: house

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As I am preparing to move, I realize I am going to miss this house. For better or worse, it has been my home for several years. My daughter grew up in this house, and my son was born here. Every wall is painted in colors I chose (for the most part, all shades of yellow). I picked the cabinetry, hardware and door knobs. I selected the wood on the floor, and the carpets in the bedrooms. I arranged the furniture. I have spent days each week cleaning and maintaining.

I realize now why I was so hesitant to leave. It is not the house’s fault that it happens to be the casualty of my mistakes. It did not ask to be built where it is. Had it been anywhere else, perhaps I would have stayed and fought for it. It is simultaneously spacious and cozy. I am comfortable here.

He no longer stays here, but when I move out, this will be his house. It is best for the children. This is where they will come to see their dad, and they will continue growing up here part of the time. I am not big on complicating things. There are things I will fight for, and there are things that are just not worth it. Besides, in divorce battles, no one wins.

My first house I gave to my first husband. My second to my second husband. I think I will just rent from now on.

But yes, I will miss the house. I will miss how I made it mine. But that is alright. I will find home again. As Tina Dico sings, I will find “true north.”

They Have A Rooster

My house’s property value just dropped around 30K. It has been slowly decreasing ever since my neighbors moved in. Yes, theseneighbors. But I think they have now just struck the jackpot in the house next door depreciation game.
They have been getting on my nerves for two years. Yes, I know I have only lived here 1.5 years, but I am rounding up. And it feels like they have been driving me batty for about five years, so technically I am averaging. I think.
Anyway, as I lay awake this morning in anticipation of my alarm I hear a strange noise. It sounded like a rooster. It took this noise repeating several times before I realized it was indeed a rooster. Not because I don’t know what a rooster sounds like, but because I don’t know why I would be hearing a rooster in my back yard. I may have a lot of cats, and dogs, and children, but I definitely don’t have a rooster.
My first thought was to go outside and investigate. Then I remembered the rooster incident of 2008. I work at an educational institution that has a large agricultural area. One warm afternoon I decided to go take a stroll by the pond. On the way back to my office I encountered a rooster. A very angry rooster. This may have been the first time I had ever seen a rooster up close. Trying to pet it may not have been the best idea. Next thing I knew he was flapping his wings every which way, screeching at me, and chasing me down the dirt road. Once I made it close to the main campus he stopped his pursuit. And I made it back to the office looking as though I just got assaulted in the parking lot. Moral of the story: roosters are scary.
So I decided not to go outside to investigate. I briefly contemplated poking one of the kids awake and sending them out there. Because I am a good mother like that. It would probably have been Ducky. I figured he would have been the best suited for identifying one of his fellow foal. But he can’t talk, so he wouldn’t be able to relate any information back. Also it would probably be terribly irresponsible of me to send my children out in the predawn darkness in an encounter with what was probably a half crazed rooster. Because there is no other kind. They are almost as scary as geese.
Therefore I did what any normal person would do and decided to ignore it. Well, after looking into it, it turns out the neighbors got a rooster. They say the rooster is visiting. Uh huh. Good luck selling this place any time soon.