It seems millennia ago that I signed the papers on this place. But on June 10, 2011, this house, which I like to call Ruth (after its first owner) became mine. And I suppose I became hers, too.
We needed each other. She'd suffered about 20 years of neglect from former owners, and was about to be relegated to a rental property when I scooped her off the market. As for me, I was about a year and a half post-divorce, only just past the Crazy with Emotion, Anger, and Remorse Stage. It was time to move on. It was time to start a new life in earnest. My four boys and I moved in with a lot of second-hand furniture, cleaning and paint supplies, and carpet-cutters.
It's probably pretty telling that I'm writing this post a day later than the actual housiversary, I'm taking periodic breaks to help my love maneuver drywall sheets up the stairs to the attic bonus room we're working on, I've got to make a trip to the hardware store before it closes tonight, and I'm thinking I need to get a fresh paint brush for the next project.
Meaning, I'm still in the thick of it. It's not giving me much time for reflection, no matter how much I'd like to write a post pondering the significance of this place to me, how it's sheltered my children, worked itself into the very marrow of my bones, how it's even framed the course of my new relationship. It's all been very much about love, but also self-doubt, hard work, bills, and taking out the trash again and again. Somewhere in there a relationship happened, but instead of with a person it is with a home and garden that seem to mean more to me with each passing year, despite the struggle. That makes it sound like a marriage. It sort of is.
Because it's the five-year mark and we've had some real whopper projects lately, I've been taking some time to look back so that I can fully appreciate what we've accomplished. It's easy to feel lost in the incremental gains and forget that they add up to something.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Before:
After (but not done):
Before (or during) :
Before:
After:
2011:
2016:
You've come a long way on both the house and life. Good job on both. I'm still impressed with the color choice in the dining room. Love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. I'm at the early stage of completion with the dining room, where every time I stop in I take a turn around, look, and feel good about it. It's a nice feeling!
DeleteLove love love this. Transformations are my favorite stories. Especially with houses as metaphors.
ReplyDeleteYou have done such a nice job. Look how far you have come in five years. Thank you for sharing.
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