Small but Mighty

Naturally the first question you get when you are in the market to buy a house is “What are you looking for?” Which of course includes “Where?”

After 21 years in a two story house where I raised my three children (see previous post), my short answer is: a smaller house. While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America, I lived alone quite happily in a two-room house which, in that area, was a large space for a single person. Concerning just one part of my ecological footprint, I want to return to a single-story house with less space to heat and clean. [Yikes!! Less space? Are you sure?] I don’t consider myself a pack-rat nor a hoarder, but I do have stuff. If you haven’t heard George Carlin’s take on “stuff” I urge you to check it out here.

[Side note: I owe an apology to an acquaintance from years ago, a Quaker Friend who once tried to share with me the personal joy she found in the process and completion of simplifying her life by sorting through all of her material possessions: disposing, recycling, and giving away many items along the way. I was not materialistic. I chose to work in education because it was my passion, knowing full well it would never lead to a lucrative career. I was on board with the theory: Live simply so others may simply live (originally attributed to Mother Teresa and/or Gandhi) but at the time had no patience to heed Sonja’s advice. I also didn’t feel the need, because at that time was working hard to acquire more of the things my kids and I needed, or at least desired. And I never planned on moving again, ever. I wish Sonja were still alive today, so I could thank her.]

Death is a fat part of life, it turns out. I guess I always knew that, but I only recently have come to understand it as fact. It was Byron’s death which led me to the decision to downsize. So here I am, lately, in the process of reducing the amount of my stuff. It’s been a good exercise, addressing one closet at a time, interspersed between days of house hunting. Offers to help have come in from family, friends, and coworkers. But this work is something I must do, for the most part, on my own. After all, that’s the point: A new beginning. Solidly on my own.

Back to the hunt. If all goes according to plan and barring any delays, I will move to a sweet little ranch later this month. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it sure is cute in my eyes! With a basic floor plan very similar to the home where I grew up (and where my widowed mother still resides), the new house is also reminiscent of the first home I purchased in the 1990s (and later occupied with roommates) but with one significant difference: a brick exterior.

Having grown up in the pacific northwest, brick houses never stood out to me. They were around, but nothing special. On my first visit to Byron’s childhood home on old NC Highway 150 outside of Lexington, North Carolina I was surprised to see that the majority of houses we passed were brick. I hadn’t known that NC  was the leading brick-producing state in the U.S. The attraction is understandable: despite higher costs, brick is an eco-friendly, relatively low-maintenance, noncombustible, and non-rotting. It doesn’t need to be painted, and is able to withstand impact from flying debris at far greater wind speeds than other common exterior materials. This last trait is not a huge concern in the pacific northwest but nice to know, given my record with windstorm damage.

Byron’s childhood home, NC (1956-1978)

So I bought a small house. Not officially a tiny house, but small to me. It’s a brick house which might, at a glance, look like Byron’s childhood home. Oh, and it was built in 1956. The same year Byron was born.

Yep, starting over again. All on my own. New beginnings in a new space, with a little nod to Byron and his home state. Where is it? Not far from the house I’ve sold. I’ll have a house-warming party when I’m settled. Let me know if ya’ll want to be there.

************

 12/30/16 UPDATE: Closed both on the sale of my ‘big’ house and the purchase of my ‘little’ house just before Christmas, and the move is done! Now I have a few boxes to unpack…

Home (1996-2016)

Home (2016-???)