Many times over the years, I’ve had to pack up my belongings and hang the “For Sale” sign out in the front yard. Now, I rent. And, I’m thankful in this month of Thanksgiving, that I am not standing in the spot in which Barb, of So, The Thing Is Blog, finds herself—having to deal with the daunting task of making a jam-packed, long-lived in, long-loved home “buyer-ready.” It’s crazy-making. Barb, a freelance writer, wife, mother, and knitter (socks, no less), found out recently the entire family is picking up and moving half-way across the country. Their trip will require them to give up year-round swimming in the back yard pool in Texas, to finding proper snow boots, shovels, and warm mittens for life in Long Island, NY.
She finds humor in trying to balance finding a good school system in the new place with trying to rectify unfortunate selections of color throughout the house as she prepares for the big day. Moving is a daunting task, but I have a feeling, she’ll create the same home, in a different place, at her next stop.
“I realize how much of our living has been done here and how that’s all tied up in how I see this house. Look, that’s where Jane took her first steps and look over there, that’s where Ana sat at breakfast with her bike helmet on, pretending it was a space helmet. Here’s where we finger painted and took baths in the bucket. That’s where Jane burst into her first deep belly laugh. Over there is where Ana was sitting when she fixed my computer. That’s where the Christmas tree goes and that’s where we hang our stockings. Here’s where we keep all the medicines we tried and couldn’t get the kids to take. There’s where my husband grilled steaks almost every single Sunday night. That’s where I dropped that bottle of expensive wine and it shattered.”
Barb wistfully and ably recalls the journey of a family and the inextricable ties they have to their home in the The Rising Blogger Post of the Day, Memories Do Not Convey.
Review written by LORI HAHN.
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Excellent selection! I’ve enjoyed Barb Cooper’s perspective on living and loving (and how you just can’t help but laugh) for years, first through her columns and then her book, The Mermaids Purse, and now through her blog. Although a lot of it is about family life and knitting, there’s really something identifiable for anyone who…well…lives in this world.
I too am a fan (although a more recent one) of Barb’s self-deprecating humor and enthusiastic (usually) approach to life. Plus, she answers my comments. So that means she’s a nice person, to boot.
It’s a sign of some sort of narcissism that I keep coming back here to read this review, right? And I probably should admit that I’ve been BEAMING at perfect strangers all day, right?
Ah, the utter bliss of it all! THANK YOU!
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