At one point today, Kathy looked over at me and asked “what were you doing ten years ago today?” And I did not have the foggiest notion. I’m fuzzy enough when it comes to what I had for breakfast; when it comes to events of a decade ago, and to sorting out what happened when, I am a muddle-headed mess. So I didn’t have a clue.
“We were moving into this house ten years ago today,” she replied. How she knew that, I have no idea, but I’m glad somehow around here has a clearer sense of our history than I do and is sharp enough to make note of such milestones which otherwise would slip right past me.
Building this house was one of the most interesting and satisfying things that Kathy and I have done together… and one of the most important things we did right was to choose a builder that was absolutely trustworthy. Korndoerfer had a great reputation and since neither of us had the time nor talent for policing the project- as one often has to do if you go with a cheaper, corner-cutting builder- they were the right builders for us. Once we chose them, we very quickly settled on one of their designs- ‘Kensington’ was its name, I think – and also easily settled on a few adjustments to that plan which in our minds made it even better. (I don’t think those adjustments would have occurred to us if we had only had architectural sketches to consult. But because there was a Kensington being built in another south side neighborhood, we could poke around that house as it was being built. That made all the difference in the world and made us all the more excited for our own house.) We decided to flip the plan left to right, so the living room was to the left instead of the right and made other adjustments, and I’m still a bit amazed at how easily we found agreement on just about everything. In fact, the only difference of opinion I can think of is that the original plan called for one of those extra large bathtubs, which Kathy didn’t think we needed. I fought and lost that battle, and now realize that it was for the best…. If I’d gotten that fancy bathtub, I most likely would have spent half of the last ten years lounging in it, which would not have been beneficial to me or to my skin.
The house got built pretty much on schedule, which was a great relief, and when May 20th rolled around, we were only too anxious to move in and begin living in the house about which we had been dreaming for so long. And moving day went swimmingly well, thanks to the help of family, friends and Evans Moving Company. Really the only unpleasantness for me came at the end of the evening, when for some reason I found myself all by myself at our old house on Clarence Avenue, giving it a final cleaning. At one point, at maybe 11:15 p.m., I phoned the new house and Kathy answered with the sound of laughter in the background- people were having a housewarming celebration of sorts, and I’m sure getting stuff done as well -and there I was all by myself, with only my bucket, broom and mop to keep me company. On the other hand, it wasn’t the worst thing to have a few quiet minutes in that house where we had spent six good years.
We feel so at home now in this house, but it’s good from time to time to remember that when we chose this lot, there were no houses yet built nor a street yet constructed – just a big grassy field. And when we moved into this house ten years go, there were no trees in the yard nor a single blade of grass… just a lot of dirt. But right around the time we moved in, we were delighted by a wonderful surprise in our backyard. Along the edge of the ravine next to our house, we suddenly saw tulips blooming. It turned out that our friend Jeri Smith, unbeknownst to us, had planted a few tulips bulbs before our house had even be built- knowing that that our first summer there was likely to be rather brown and muddy. Those tulips were just the dash of color we needed, as well as a lovely symbol of the friends and the friendships that were so important to us- and we still have tulips blooming in the same place, all these years later.
Ten years now we have been living here, and I think neither of us feel even the slightest hankering to move on or up or out. As my sister and her family prepare to move into the splendid new country home they have designed and built in rural Decorah, and Steve and his family prepare to move into their newly purchased spectacular home in Philadelphia, Kathy and I are happy for them but just as happy for us. . . because in ten years a house really becomes a home, and in this home we have enjoyed tremendous blessings. And in this time when so many people are losing their homes or wanting to sell their homes and unable to, we know we are as fortunate as two people can be.