At Home In The Townhouse

Today is September 18, 2019, a Tuesday.  I am sitting on my double-lounger in my new living room.  My lovely bride and I have considered ourselves (potential) nomads for many years, and we did move a few times, to be sure.  But during the past couple of years or so, things have happened that have cemented us to this area, at least for the foreseeable future.  With the birth of our first grandchild, then my lovely bride’s new career, then the birth of a second grandchild, it became obvious that we were HERE.  I began searching for a home closer to my wife’s work location and closer to the grandchildren as well.

During the middle of August we found a townhome that we fell in love with immediately.  I was surprised that I would find a townhome appealing in any way, but this one just felt like home as soon as we walked in.  My lovely bride felt the same.  We made an offer on this home, and finally closed on September 4^th.   After closing the deal, we started moving in, just a few boxes at a time.  Then my lovely bride declared that it was time to “move in.” 

We spent our first “official” night in the townhouse on September 12^th, having moved everything except the large furniture.  We were buying new appliances for the home so that helped lighten the load.  But for the first few days we really roughed it, having no washer or dryer in the house, or even a refrigerator.  But all the roughing was smoothed by being so close to the grandchildren.  They could now visit us almost every day, instead of the nearly hour round trip from the dojo in Odessa to our old house in Midland, then the same trip when it was time to take the babies home.  Another advantage, for an oldster like myself, there is basically no yardwork.  The front is maintained by the homeowner’s association contractor.  The patio is maintained by me and my rocking chair.

Then came the day it was time to move the BIG STUFF…the double lounger and the sleeper sofa.  This was a lot of backbreaking, heavy work.  Fortunately, I missed all that.  I was safely at work.  Child A, Child B, and Child B’s husband did the heavy stuff.  When I arrived home, my beloved lounger was in place, and I didn’t have to do anything except sit down, lay back, and offer my gratitude to those who did the real work.

Not to worry.  I was not spared totally from the pain.  I had moved several truckloads of boxes over the past few days, both loading and unloading.  And I helped with the painting (yes, the house had to be painted – the new paint throughout the house was all the wrong colors, according to my lovely bride).  My wife has a great eye for detail, and a great imagination, thus she was able to visualize what the townhouse would look like with various new colors, wallpaper, back splash (?), tile, rugs, etc.  Now, just these few days later the townhouse would not be recognizable to the previous owner.  And we are not roughing it quite as much.  We now have a washer and dryer, and the Internet!  We are  really living!  The fridge is still a few days away, and a new dining table will arrive after that.  We are almost back in civilization!

My lovely bride and I have been truly blessed.  We have beautiful children, beautiful grandchildren, and now this beautiful townhouse.  In the process, Child A gained a “new home” as well, that is, his parents no longer live in his home.  I am sure he is pretty excited about that.  But he has promised to dine with us at least one evening per week.  As much as he likes his mother’s cooking, I suspect we will see him more often. 

God is good.