Who was just wishing it would warm up already? Was that me? What? Who knew I had such powerful Magical Thinking? It's been hot here. Like so respectably Hot, not even my Arizona friends could sneer. Sure, it's no One Hundred and Seventeen degrees, but even 97 is sweltering when you don't have central air. Nobody around here has central air. Oh, sure, maybe some folks do, but aside from the occasional window unit, I'd say most households rely on fans and iced beverages for keeping cool. And, if you're lucky, auxiliary living space in a Basement.
I'm lucky.
I don't have an interior thermostat, but ground temps are still in the high fifties and our basement is probably about that. There have been movies watched under blankets and rowdy big movement play without breaking a sweat. Two nights ago, the children tossed about in their own beds (did you hear? the boy has been starting out every night in his very own bed in his very own room, sometimes lasting ALL NIGHT! which translates into hours of uninterrupted sleep for this tired mama, how about that?!) until long past bedtime, so we packed it all up and went underground. The children and I slept on our extra queen bed in the "guest room" (we have, in fact, hosted guests there, so I guess the title fits) and the husband retired to the sofa (our television is down there in a cozy little den space). My teeth may have chattered a bit that night: my children are cover hogs.
And if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need, aw yeah. I landed in this town which was not the town I was aiming for, I landed in this house, which was not the house I imagined, and yet, I keep being reminded, that it's all Just Right.
Our Must-Have criteria included more than one toilet, walking distance to community resources, roomy kitchen, plenty of storage. Under the Wish List were items like, big front porch, clawfoot tub, tall trees. I didn't think about a finished basement, although as soon as we saw this house, and went downstairs, I realized how useful it would be. All that extra space, for playing, creating, hanging out. I guess we could have looked around longer, waited for the original bungalow with leaded glass and hex tile, but we put an offer on this place and the deal was done before I blinked. It is not at all what I thought I wanted, but for so many reasons, has been just what we needed.
It's cooling back down already. On Friday we stood so close to Triple Digits, we could feel that hot air on our necks, but today it's only in the eighties. I like having the main level doors and windows open, the breeze, the sounds, the children running in and out. But I like knowing that when it warms back up again (and it will, Oregon sees plenty of hot summer weather), we're just a flight of stairs away from relief.
I'm lucky.
I don't have an interior thermostat, but ground temps are still in the high fifties and our basement is probably about that. There have been movies watched under blankets and rowdy big movement play without breaking a sweat. Two nights ago, the children tossed about in their own beds (did you hear? the boy has been starting out every night in his very own bed in his very own room, sometimes lasting ALL NIGHT! which translates into hours of uninterrupted sleep for this tired mama, how about that?!) until long past bedtime, so we packed it all up and went underground. The children and I slept on our extra queen bed in the "guest room" (we have, in fact, hosted guests there, so I guess the title fits) and the husband retired to the sofa (our television is down there in a cozy little den space). My teeth may have chattered a bit that night: my children are cover hogs.
And if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need, aw yeah. I landed in this town which was not the town I was aiming for, I landed in this house, which was not the house I imagined, and yet, I keep being reminded, that it's all Just Right.
Our Must-Have criteria included more than one toilet, walking distance to community resources, roomy kitchen, plenty of storage. Under the Wish List were items like, big front porch, clawfoot tub, tall trees. I didn't think about a finished basement, although as soon as we saw this house, and went downstairs, I realized how useful it would be. All that extra space, for playing, creating, hanging out. I guess we could have looked around longer, waited for the original bungalow with leaded glass and hex tile, but we put an offer on this place and the deal was done before I blinked. It is not at all what I thought I wanted, but for so many reasons, has been just what we needed.
It's cooling back down already. On Friday we stood so close to Triple Digits, we could feel that hot air on our necks, but today it's only in the eighties. I like having the main level doors and windows open, the breeze, the sounds, the children running in and out. But I like knowing that when it warms back up again (and it will, Oregon sees plenty of hot summer weather), we're just a flight of stairs away from relief.
1 comment:
You are so lucky to have that finished basement of yours!
Post a Comment