Spending longer stretches in the country has been a good thing. The back and forth between city and country becomes disorienting, a feeling of rootlessness, and always catching up from behind. Here I can tend to what needs tending, pay attention, keep up. Feel like I'm sowing and reaping a little, so to speak, as opposed to having my ass kicked by entropy all the time.
Amazing how much work it takes to own/maintain a home. Not complaining - well, maybe a little - but I see the value of renting, of leaving the maintenance to someone else. It's different of course - you get what you pay for, a sense of groundedness and stability when it's your own. And with so many Americans these days losing their homes to foreclosure, I am grateful for the privilege.
Still, there are only so many hours in the day, so many days in your life. How do you want to spend them?
We spent a good part of ours this weekend painting. Just one room - the kitchen - and it was a ton of work. Kitchens, with all their grease and grime and hidden corners behind the appliances, are the hardest rooms to paint. Dirty windows, dirty baseboards and trim. The previous owners slapped primer and flat paint on everything for a quick sell, which has been icky especially in the kitchen. Anyway, it's done. Sigh. Proportional investment makes sense, given how much our our lives we spend in the kitchen.
The lawn continues to be my nemesis. Kicks my ass every time, and I only did about two-thirds of it. It's been humid, so the grass and weeds have been growing fast.
Hosted some friends and their two pitbulls for a couple of days. The pup is pooped, so much doggie comaraderie as of late. Us, too. Pooped, that is. We're used to being loners, I guess. Only so many hours and days... back to the quiet now, back to work.
Monday, July 7, 2008
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