Renting

I bought my first house in 1997 and my second in 1998. I owned that second house, the Log House, until November of last year and lived there until March 24th, 2012 when I left for the Appalachian Trail. For a few months I lived a transient life until June first when I loaded everything I owned into my Volkswagen, Alli's car, and her Dad's truck, and headed to North Carolina. Nine hours later we started moving my meager belongings into the first rental house of my life.

I live in awe of the gorgeous mountains all around me, thoroughly enjoy the cute little town where I work, and couldn't be happier living amongst a population with such a progressive worldview. And yet, it still feels a little weird to live in a house that I don't own. Don't hear me wrong, I love my house. It has plush carpet, a huge kitchen, wonderful room layouts, and so much more. Frankly, it's the nicest house (i.e. not needing work) I've ever lived in. It just feels weird to know someone else owns it.

For awhile, I had a hard time putting nails in walls for pictures, deciding the layout for furniture, even opening windows. That has changed as the months have gone by, and this place really feels like a home now. And I think that's how I've come to feel about this cute red house: it's a house owned by someone else but it is our home because of our presence in it.

My friends Grant and Mike would often lament with me the downsides of home ownership. And to their points, there is certainly a sense of freedom knowing that if something breaks... someone else has to fix it. Add to that, if we decide to move, there's no worry about selling the house. Both of those points make most of the negative feelings slip away.

All in all, I'm really happy where I'm at: renting.

Some facts about me and this new home.....

• I now mow my own lawn for the first time in five or six years. I even own a lawn mower.
• I found a Lay-Z-Boy at Goodwill in the exact same style to replace the beloved chair handed down to me from my Mom.
• I have already built a large bookshelf and an entertainment center to grace my living room. I guess I can't help building stuff.
• The only TV we get is PBS. I miss football.
• I have a dishwasher. I know, right?!
• I've already planted five trees and an Azalea on the property. I know it's not mine, but planting trees is in my blood.
• Hanging over the bay window that opens up the front of the house is a six foot piece of rough finished Black Walnut that was from a kitchen my Dad made back in 1989.
• I have a cool little workshop filled with a mix of my own and some of my Dad's tools.
• The house has central air. That's a first for me.
• My driveway holds two black VW's. Shocking, right?
• The old lady that lived here before us left a new treadmill, washer and dryer, vacuum sweeper, and a microwave. Score.
• The neighbors across the street and the neighbors to the left only show up once-a-month. Behind us is woods. So despite the fact that I live in a small housing development, this is actually the least amount of neighbors I've ever had.