Pink Think: “Where thou art, that is home.” – Emily Dickinson
photo from Daily Bungalow on Flickr
First, an aside: an article I wrote about a local man who is very passionate about astronomy got published the other day. I really enjoyed writing this profile, especially since I asked my editor if I could bump it up to twice as long as I usually do. It’s really hard, in 600 words, to write someone’s life story. So I had fun going more in depth.
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Quiet on the fiction front. Just summering for the moment. And looking at lots of house plans (we hope to sell our house so we can build a home on horse property), trying to find ones that both my husband and I agree on. I am leaning towards Craftsman (see example in photo above). I’ve always loved that look, probably because of the color and old-fashioned charm. We drove today through a sprawling subdivision with lots of this style, where all the houses were so different and alive with color. If we wanted to live anywhere near there, I would want us to move there in a heartbeat! I love love love color.
I was reminded about this house style the other day, when I was having one of our saddles repaired at this guy’s house on a quiet rural street. I looked west and saw a beautiful house. It had olive green plank board, yellow shaker shingles along the gables, with a red door. After I got the saddle, I went over and talked to the owners.
They invited me short of looking in their house (“It’s a mess!”) and I said it was no problem at all, I could come back. I mostly stood around speechless because this 30-something couple had put a lot of their heart and personality into their living space. The lady raises waterwise plants and landscapes professionally; the guy built the house himself with the help of some sub-contractors. The lawn meandered, past a gorgeous fire pit with chairs nestled around, to a stone courtyard and a very inviting back porch.
“Is your house for sale?” I joked. The husband smiled and shook his head.
I went home energized and told my husband, “I know now what I like in a house!”
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I want to live in a house where the cool aquamarine walls and seashells and white trim and striped fabric remind me of the beach. Where a hammock is strung on the front porch and beads of condensation form like crystal on a tall glass of lemonade. I want to go barefoot on the deck and roast marshmallows with my kids over a fire pit full of glinting jeweled coals. I want to make dinner of shrimp and scallops in a crisp salad at the kitchen while I watch the kids ride their horses from the back windows. I want to step out onto the back porch and look up at the stars and breathe and maybe even strum out a song or two on the ol’ gui-tar. I want window-seats with a teetering stack of books; a pingpong table in the basement and a circle of red chairs right smack in the middle for visiting; rugs in bright colors and doors in colors other than white. I want a living room that opens up to a generous front porch lined with geraniums spilling out of pots.
(Funny thing is, though some of the details in my dream home are different than in the one I live in now, I can honestly say I come home to my present house and feel the energy of color and the warmth of family!)
That’s my idea of a house that makes me happy. What’s YOURS?
OR, what makes YOU happy in your present home?
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