Sunday, December 2, 2007

The House That Mary Built

I'm moving a bit more slowly than usual this Sunday morning. Nothing wrong, I just feel lazy. Reading the blogs of my blogging friends has become a regular routine. It's something I look forward to. This morning two of my friends wrote about places they lived in the past and it made me look back.

While Ricky was visiting he asked me to show him the house that I built in the early 90s. I loved that house but sold it because I needed the highly inflated equity to make life easier. After selling the new house I moved back to the house where I lived prior to building. The house I built - or should say had built - was across town from the old neighborhood. It had a small front yard and a huge back yard that bordered a wild life preserve. The house was too large for one person but I had something to prove and let pride and determination guide the plans. When Ricky and I parked on the street in front of the house I had a moment of pride in what I was able to accomplish followed by teary eyes thinking of how far I've come. We rang the doorbell and explained to the young man (a soldier home on leave from Iraq) that I had the house built and was the first to live there. He invited us inside and showed us through the downstairs rooms. I was pleased that everything is still lovely and well cared for. The sunroom was filled with plants and the back yard was as well groomed as the front. Memories of the bobcat mother that had kits under the deck, the wild boar eating my sage, the deer drinking from the birdbath and then eating my favorite rose bush, and all the small animals that visited my yard were unbelievably vivid. I had a content life there but nothing to compare with my life now. I'm happy to have had the experience and I savor the memories but wouldn't trade what I have for anything.

Ok, I've rambled on and proved, yet again, that I'm an old woman who may look back but feels blessed by the now. Have a good day.

6 comments:

josie2shoes said...

This was a beautiful post, Mary. It was very kind of the man to invite you in to see the house. I'm sure it did your heart good to know that it is well cared for. What a blessing that you can look back wistfully, yet realize that what you have now is an even greater blessing. To everything there is a season...

Happyone said...

Sounds like you had a real nice weekend!!
How nice that the man let you in to see your old house. It was nice looking back with you. :-)

Summer said...

I often want to go home to the house where I grew up. But, I'm afraid to knock on the door.

BTW..where did you live to have wild boar in your back yard?

Jamie said...

What great memories---I would love living in an area like that.

And, I find it awesome that you are the most happy NOW. Who among us can say that?

You go girl. :)

Michelle said...

I am glad you got to see that the house Mary built is being well taken care of and appreciated by the current owners. It sounds like a great house that you can always be proud of having built. :)
I am glad you shared this with us. I enjoyed it.
P.S. You're not an old woman!
-Michelle

Cheryl said...

Like your other friends said, it is so nice that you got to go inside the house and relive your memories. From time to time I stop outside the house I used to own. Some of my perennials are still there. Good memories.