I Bought a 127 Year Old House

I think I looked at this house for the first time back in December 2015. As the seller led me on a story-filled tour I was struck by how comfortable I felt in this place. I'd looked at other properties but this was the only one where that I-could-totally-live-here feeling washed over me this way. Full disclosure, I looked at some absolute shit-holes so perhaps the bar was lower. Also if you talk to my good friend and real estate agent, April, she'll probably tell you I was out of my mind or that my mind was all over the place. I couldn't articulate what I was looking for so that she could narrow the choices for me. All I could say was I was looking for the perfect place. If that turned out to be a two-flat that needed gutting, or a condo,  or a single family home, the answer was Yes. As long as it felt right.

But this house! This block! The history of its owners! I was smitten from day one. It needs a lot of work. A LOT! But it checked off some boxes. It has a proper dining room that is big enough for plenty of friends and family, and dare I say it finally I can throw that Big Night Timpano party. Hell yes!  The outdoor space is perfect for me, room for a few raised beds, a shady area with a patio, a built-in gas grill and a huge garage. And guys, I've loved this block for years. I closed on May 26 but it still hasn't sank in that I own a house here.

I hear horror stories about renovations but it is something I have always wanted to do. I don't mean doing the work myself, I mean buying a place with potential, finally releasing all those pent-up ideas and transforming it into a personal sanctuary. I know living through it will be hell but I'm hoping to embrace the process and who knows, maybe I can work on transforming myself in parallel. God knows I need it.

Re-entry

I was sweating, on the verge of a panic attack when I pulled up. My car AC on full blast I wondered if I was making a big mistake. And then I saw those vibrant red geraniums in the window box.  I later learned they'd just been planted earlier that morning, such a kind gesture. I'm not saying those red geraniums rid me of the scary feelings but they sure did make that final walk-through, easier.
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Oh hey, internets! I am sorry for making those pimento cheese sandwiches and then going away for over two years. If I'm being honest, I'm here, but I'm scared because my inner quitter, she's a force to be reckoned with.  I haven't written anything since I published that pimento cheese blog post in April of 2014 and I haven't written anything of substance for years before that. Nobody said anything but I know you all noticed my lame writing, just enough to mentally check off that I-still-have-a-blog box.

Lots of things have happened over the past two years. I want to tell you about it, but you guys have to be patient with me. It's a lot of very hard and painful stuff and I'm still in the thick of it. But besides that I've got some exciting new projects on the horizon and the other day a feeling came over me and I was all what's this? Inspiration to...write?

So here I am. I make no promises about frequency of blog posts or even that I'll ever write another after this. But, gotta start somewhere!  So here's one, and I'm hoping this inspiration will stick around. Writing on this little blog was therapeutic and very rewarding to me for a good long while and I could use some of that right now.