In the Same Room

If you have an older home, as I do, things are guaranteed to go wrong. Ours is a money pit but I still love it. I actually love it more knowing that eventually we will have to make the smart decision to downsize so that makes me cherish every tree and the view from every window.

When something goes wrong, I do my best to fix it. But, I have this fantasy. Could we get everyone in the same room? The water company tells me I am using an absurd amount of water -- there must be a leak. The plumber tells me he can't find a leak and the water company is messing with me. The sprinkler/irrigation people tell me I need to talk to the water company.

If there's a computer problem, I have to call the cable company (supplier of my high-speed service,) the Internet provider and the hosts of my domain names.

When we had the oldies, we skirted between VA doctors (last count was 8) and our preferred physician. A conversation in the same room would've saved everyone a lot of stress. (I must admit our doctor did his best to make it happen.)

The same is true of personal relationships. Spouses and friends can clear the air but it helps to be in the same room. Hey, you can always walk away.

The Road Trip to See the Mansion

A friend of mine just moved. She and her husband have done very well for themselves and they just built a new house. It's not a house -- it's a mansion. I haven't seen it yet but I get regular emails about the progress and the stats. It sounds fabulous and I can't wait to see it. When I visit, I get my own wing.

I have known this friend forever. She's one of my Golden Girls. Her mom used to tell me a story of her 5th or 6th birthday party. Apparently, I cried because I didn't get the pink balloon. Go figure! I can still be reduced to tears if I don't get what I want.

Visiting will require an 8-plus hour road trip. I like to get on a plane, cross check and call forward, and simply get to my destination. The other Golden Girl insists that we drive. (By the way, we're not that old but they are my oldest friends and that qualifies them as Golden.) It's a lot of driving for a long weekend but we'll do it.

This is one of the most down-to-earth people I know. Plus, she has a gigantic heart. Their old house was only about 40 minutes from where the oldies used to live. Once we got the oldies settled here (1 year, 11 months and 2 weeks ago,) the mother-in-law had a freak out of things left in their old house. My friend took the time to go there, dig through cabinets and go through closets. She found everything on their list and shipped it here. This was way beyond the call of duty. At one point, she kept calling me to say, "I'm under the bed. Here's what I found. Do you think this is what they're searching for?" Eternal gratitude is not enough.

I don't like road trips beyond three hours. I get tired. My limbs start to ache. Two women alone makes my mother nervous so therefore, I get nervous. I'm a little more comfortable with my Big, Black Dog in the car. She's a sweetie but maybe it would deter someone from messing with us.

Thank Goodness, this wonderful woman is also a dog lover. She said, "Pick your dates and bring the Gabster." Her husband agreed to this. I'm pretty sure Big Daddy would not have done so.

So, there's a road trip in my future. She sent me an email this morning with various escapades about her dogs. Gabby will fit right in.

The Little House

I know very few people who have more than five children. Maybe it's the availability of birth control or more channels on television, but two to four children seems to be the norm. The oldies had four children. She came from a family of 12, 14, whatever. He is an only child.

Big families used to be the norm. My grandmothers were sisters. One was the birth mother and one was the earth mother who raised my mother and her sisters. It sounds bizarre but you would not believe how many people I have met in my life who have been raised by a grandmother, an aunt, or a sister.

I think there were 13 or so children in that family. I have a photo of all of them sitting on a porch and my grandmother wrote at the bottom, "A happy family and a happy home" It didn't look that great to me. In fact, my loony grandmother looked rather annoyed at the whole situation. In the photo, all of the family is together, yet, she's sitting off by herself.

My great grandfather (who I actually remember) made everyone welcome in his home. At one point, they took the detached garage and converted it into a "little house." Majorly small! But, it was functional and a lot of relatives lived there over the years. Some families name their homes/estates. We had a name too. Where's so and so? Oh, probably back in the "little house." When I spent time with my grandmother, (the sane one,) there would often be many of her brothers hanging out in the back yard, yucking it up, drinking and doing their version of a jam session on guitars. My mother would pluck me out of my little sandbox and remove me from that scene.

Once again she was right. A couple of them eventually did some time in the "big house."