The love of a house

Over the years I guess I have come to realize one thing – I will never own my own home nor much of anything else that has not been previously used by someone else, in another time during another era. I am a lifer - a life time renter and scavenger of other people's used 'junk'. I enjoy living in a gently used home that I have furnished with used things. Things that at one time, were loved by other families and have history behind them.

This is not a sad thing for me, I see it as a great thing. I love being a renter because I love being able to call my landlord to fix things when they need fixin and it not cost me a dime. I love not having to pay for pest control, plumbers, a broken air conditioning and leaky faucets. I love the fact that at any time, I can get up and move to another house if I so choose. To a new floor plan, in a new area of town or in a new state if I so choose.

The house we currently live in is older. It was built in 1975. But it has given me a lifetime of memories to remember it by when we leave. When we first moved in, it had a dirt yard in front, one that I thought would never grow grass. But I watered that dirt and it grew. I took the rock planter and dug out the rock, restoring it to it's previous purpose of holding rose bushes and plants instead of rock. I have little planter boxes under each window out front, on top of broken wood platforms that probably use to hold more elaborate planters. But that's okay: I have made it my own using what was available at the time and that's just fine by me.

We have also filled this old house with various pieces of used furniture and knick knacks from many different places. Our living room is not fashionable and immaculate, but comfortable and lived in. Our sofa we bought off of my sister and hauled it back from California. Our oak entertainments center was my dad's back in the 80's. I spent many years dusting those shelves and still do to this day. Our coffee table, one we got from Willie's Mom & Pop in California. One side of it opens up for storage (I store comforters for guests in here) and has lots of little drawers on one side of it. Useful still and made of good wood, I felt that it was not done with it's life as of yet and Mama brought it out to us last year. When we refinish it, I am sure it will restore it to it's previous glory days and serve it's purpose for many years to come.

Our TV came from our friend Greggy, who is wasteful and one of those who just has to have the latest and greatest and just had to have an "HD TV". He has a TV in every room, including the bathroom, which to me is simply overkill. Our kitchen table and oak roll top desk were hand me downs from my dad. The kitchen table was years old and turns into a nice poker table, but was not even gently used by my dad; it was literally brand new. The roll top desk, well that thing is going to be a family heirloom passed down to my girls. One of them has wanted to haul it away, but I am not ready to give it up quite yet.

The antique china cabinet came from my mom. That was a piece left behind in the home she currently lives in and one I filled with a whole set of 1950's China, not one piece broken or missing used just ONCE, that I got handed down to me from our friend Greg's mom. She was going to take it to the Goodwill.

Our bed, dresser, armoire, bookshelves, computer, printers, deep freezer, bar stools, washer and dryer, outside storage cabinet, BBQ, filing cabinets, bird cages, even the chairs that were just put into Allie's newly re-decorated room, our swimming pool and my beloved goddess rain lamp and smoking cowboy painting - all things that came from others and mostly deemed 'junk'. Now it's my junk and still providing some one with many more years of life.

And I love it. I am proud of my old rental house and all of my 'junk'. I love the fact that I don't have to live in a fancy neighborhood that has an HOA and that I don't make payments on a new couch. I am proud that my refrigerator does not have a water system in the front of it nor an ice maker and that my kitchen does not have all stainless steel appliances. I love the fact that I see the life still left in these old things and the fact that I have saved them from the dump before their time to go there. I love the fact that I don't have to be as wasteful as others and don't feel the need to have 'the latest and greatest'. I love the fact that I know (if no one else does) that a 'home' is not one in which you have prized furniture that cost a fortune and that does not get used. A couch that butts don't sit on and that the dog is not allowed to jump up on. Nope, not for me. 

The love of a house is simple - it's a place to come home too where you can be comfortable and things get used. Somewhere that I can kick back, put my beer on the table without a coaster if I want to and let my dogs come sit next to me on the couch. No formalities here. I love my old house, filled with all my junk, surrounded by those I love. That is the love of MY house and I am proud.

Peace, love and happiness!