Homecoming
17 Oct
I’ve been a terrible blogger, I know. My last entry of any substance was posted weeks ago. I’m sure all (five? four? three?) of my readers have just been chomping at the bit waiting for an update. Well, here it is. Sort of.
Our move into the house has taken up most of my energy. Whatever energy is left has been taken up by work, Sophie the Kamikaze cat and my dad needing surgery on his bum shoulder. There’s entirely too much to write about and time is short so here’s the abridged version:
-the actual move into the house made for an eventful day. Our movers were friends of S’s who originate from Newfoundland. I feel the need to share this because well, they reinforced every Newfie joke out there. The movers were two brothers, one of which kept yelling at us for not having enough boxes and thus, keeping him late and losing his best client. S and I were up at about 6 that day and we didn’t get everything moved into the house until about 10:30 at night. We also went all day without eating more then snacks and water. Around eight, riding in the condo building’s elevator was making me dizzy. It wasn’t the fun kind of dizzy, either.
-we’ve come to see that home ownership is a complete and total polar opposite of condo ownership. We’ve gone from not worrying about anything beyond our four walls to worrying about everything. Naively, I thought that the house we fell in love with and bought was perfect. But, like any (older) house in this city, it’s got its quirks and problems. Some of the ones we’ve discovered thus far: the big honkin’ tree in the backyard that needs to come down, an addition that is nowhere near up to code and will need replacement in a few years, a roof that needs updating, eaves troughs that need replacing, a dryer vent that resembled a snake from the Amazon jungle and a mystery leak in the kitchen. It’s the house that keeps on giving.
-all of the above items have resulted in me spending lots LOTS of time on the phone and writing emails trying to secure quotes, appointments and opinions from those in the know. Neither S nor I are very handy beyond putting together furniture from Ikea so we have to rely on other folks to help us out with the house’s little surprises which is in and of itself a source of stress and helplessness. I hate feeling like I can’t do anything, like my hands are tied. Maybe I’ll sign up for a homo depot workshop and end up with a brand-spanking new house like them bitches in the commercials.
-living in apartments for the last few years, I’d been spoiled by just being able to throw the garbage down the chute whenever I wanted. Recycling was easy, paper and plastic went in one bin and it went downstairs whenever I wanted. Now? It’s like I need a university degree to know how to handle my garbage. There’s the green bin and the recycling and the garbage and the yard waste – all of which have their separate collection days. It’s taken a month, but I’m starting to feel like I’m getting the garbage routine.
-if the house stuff wasn’t enough, then there’s Sophie who we like to call our “little terrorist.” She likes to run around and has no problem whatsoever crashing into things. A few weekends ago, we kept discovering little gifts of her own (read: poop and piss) throughout the house. Figuring she was probably going into heat, we booked an appointment and had her fixed. We brought her home the same day and she was tearing around the house like a Kamikaze. Even though she must have been sore from the surgery, she was jumping around, falling and crashing into things like she could feel no pain. All of that activity came back to bite her as she busted her stitches and had to go back to the vet. She ended up staying there for a week while they kept an eye on her (after having re-stitched her). Thankfully, they didn’t charge us for the stay, just the stitching. Between the cat and the house, I’m thinking I’ll need to find a part-time job. I hear Tim Horton’s is a nice place to work.
-my dad hurt his shoulder at work over two years ago. He had to wait about eight months to see the shoulder surgeon and another year and a half to have the surgery. That happened last week. I accompanied my dad to the hospital and made sure he got home okay. I had thought my mother would come to the hospital as well, you know, be there for her spouse of 30+ years, but alas, she had to sit my nephew. His parents were far too busy/occupied to make other arrangements for him. But I won’t go there right now.
-other responsibilities: I look after a friend’s web site and occasionally participate in a writing contest of sorts. My deadline for the story is next week and I’m about a third of the way done. My friend e-mailed updates for her site last month and I still haven’t gotten around to them. I feel like an ass for not staying on top of this stuff, but I’m hoping to get both items taken care of and off of my plate this weekend.
Maybe one day I’ll elaborate on the above in more detail, but with the way things are going, that’ll likely be sometime well into 2009. I’m looking forward to having the house stuff taken care of (without any additional
surprises that is), and actually enjoying our new home. It is a beautiful house with a lot of character. I knew that home ownership would be challenging and I know that old houses in Toronto are always going to need attention. I would just like to have a few days to not have to worry about calling this person or that company and booking appointments for this and that. Days are slipping by so quickly, I’m stressed and tired and can’t wait for a break and finally feel settled.
I’m trying not to complain (really I’m not) because I know I don’t really have reason to. I have a house of my own and yes, it’s a bit stressful at times, but I own a beautiful house. I also have my health and a partner who I adore and love more than I can say. I know that things will be alright. There isn’t anything that we’ve faced that we haven’t made it through.
Related posts:
Yes, remember that you own a beautiful house. This too will pass and you will have many happy years in a very very lovely home!
Yes – I know it’s hard some days — but remember that you own a beautiful house. This too will pass and you will have many years of happiness in a very very lovely home.