Home Sweet Home

We were recently discussing vacation properties (not for purchase :), and I made an offhand comment about needing to see a property in all four seasons to really get a feel for it. That got me thinking about homes and how they match up with different seasons.

We have been in our home for over ten years, and I am the most ardent defender of this house. If Skip ever mumbles a complaint about the house (which is rare) or if someone suggests we need more room, I jump to our home's defense. I love our home and am just incredibly grateful to be here. Are there one or two things we would change about it? Sure, probably, but we looked at dozens of houses before settling on this one. This was (and is) the one. Every spring we fall in love with this house again. On those first few warmer days, before the pollen starts, we open the French doors and air out the house. We sit in the keeping room while reading, listening to the chirping birds, and looking out across the lawn. That got me thinking about how different houses' strengths shine with different seasons. In addition to spring, we have a nice fall, when all of the trees have spectacular foliage. Over breakfast yesterday, our neighbor likened their house to a vacation home, given their amazing view from their deck. We feel the same way.

Being completely objective, our home's weak spot is in the summer, because the house faces west and the front yard is not shaded. While certainly not bad, summer isn't our home's strong suit.

Skip's house in Richmond had real charm and character. Although built in the 50's (I think?), the house had been updated with an addition - a back room - featuring many windows. This house was very well suited for winter because we could sit in the "back room" and watch the snow fall. Technically, with its rich tobacco-country soil, it was fantastic for summer, too, but Skip would have preferred not having a yard in which everything grew, seemingly overnight, as if Miracle Grow had been applied. Skip would also tell you the Richmond house tended to be cold, but I simply took that as a cue to get a blanket.  My prior house is definitely a "summer" because it had an expansive yard that turned emerald green each summer.  In addition to Edenic summers, fall was pretty nice as well, with a near-perfect mix of yellow, golden and orange leaves.

Of course, now we will never be able to move because I will refer to houses by their most flattering season, as if they have had their "colors" done.  I can already hear Skip telling me to stop asking, "Is this house a winter? Because I really like winter, and I want the house to reflect that... You know, I'm a winter... a deep winter..."

That's how we will become the realtor's craziest client, but we probably had a lock on that ten+ years ago.