Home Sweet Home

Schlepped to Florida in November driving both cars, leaving 40 degree weather for the low 80s…..ahhhh….perfect for late afternoon sunset meditations.  Of course, all is not sweetness and light.  The yard and plants have gone to hell in a hand basket.

Weeds growing up through the brick pavers around the pool are about a foot high.  The Mexican petunias have spread like wildfire.  Any plant you can buy for $1.99 should be a tip off that this is no deal.  Invasive?  Ya think?  The root structure rivals downtown Manhattan.

Hurricane Irma was good to us….no damage to the house or the pool cage.  But, several of the hibiscus plants remind me of downward dog pose…. except, they’re never ever gonna straighten up.  The oleander tree by the front door is infested with hairy caterpillars, who are fattening up on the leaves.  The weeds are in their happy place oblivious to the fact that we are going to battle.  I will win even if it kills me….which it won’t, just my back.

I won’t bore you with the details, but it took six weeks working a couple of hours a day then jumping in the pool for an immediate cool down.  I am the queen of trimming plants to practically nothing, which breaks Buff Honey’s heart but they always come back fuller than ever.  We’ve had a complete yard makeover, HGTV worthy.

What a delightful winter!  Never turned on the heat.  Closed the windows two days, the rest of the time was glorious with soft breezes floating through the house.  January through March are busy with our snowbird friends who flock down here ….a few parties, treks to Tightwad Tuesdays at the Venice movie theatre, day trips to state parks and old Florida habitats.  Of course, there are sunsets on the beach and a happy hour for every day of the week, if you’re so inclined.

Playing bridge is our mutual interest so we invest four afternoons a week to challenging ourselves against a whole lot of other good players.  Florida happens to be a Mecca for the best players in the world.  Not sure that’s a good thing.

BH started looking for a new car to replace his 2002 Solara convertible.  Only a convertible will do.  No more Toyota convertibles being manufactured but he's not buying a BMW or Mercedes.  What to do?  Go to Maaco and get a new paint job! No more dents or scratches. The car is gorgeous!  Now, it’s time for new leather upholstery.  Four more years and it will be a classic!

Toward the end of March, he announces, “Sugar, I’m going to sell the Olney house.”  WHAT?!!
“I’m tired of paying bills on two houses.  I just want to settle here.”  OMG!  I was completely blindsided.  It’s not like we ever really discussed it.

I loved being back in Florida that first year we were down here in 2013.  Truly, I’d forgotten how much I missed it.  The winters were fabulous!  Sunbathing on Caspersen Beach the first week in January!?  Amazing.  Then, April rolled around and BH was chomping at the bit to get back to Maryland.  I never loved the Olney house….so much work to be done.  Overwhelming but we tackled it.  Never finished it, but, really, is a house ever finished?  Not on my budget!

Each year was harder for him to go back to Maryland and each year was easier for me.  I couldn’t wait to get back for Mother’s Day and birthday parties and summer gatherings.  But, I should’ve had a clue when he started cleaning like a mad man a couple of summers ago.  Countless trips to the landfill, the local thrift shop, Goodwill.  We were on a first name basis there.

When he had the roof replaced last spring, I definitely should’ve known.  My God, he had spent the last three summers interviewing 14 roofing companies!  Bear in mind, these were all companies who just happened to be driving around the neighborhood and noticed how bad the roof looked. Why 14 companies?!  He was curious to compare their sales pitches. I really wanted to warn these guys but tuned out and excused myself to the office to read.  I never thought for a minute he was going to replace the roof until he absolutely had to….which meant he wasn’t going to do it until he put the house on the market.

And what about the weeks he spent cleaning up the backyard?  And having 12 trees trimmed?  We could even see the park from the deck.  For years, I didn’t even know there was a park in
back of the house, it was so overgrown.

What prompted the move this year?  Well, all eight of our kids and married and have their own homes.  They’re all very healthy and, certainly, reasonable happy.  But, I think the deciding factor was that the bridge game in Florida starts at one o’clock in the afternoon rather than 10 in the morning.  The man rises at dawn and runs or bikes like a maniac and requires a few hours to recover.  He needs his morning down time to read the USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the local Herald Tribune.

So, the house went on the market. It’s in one of the most family-friendly neighborhoods I’ve ever lived in.  Schools within walking distance, parks scattered throughout the area, no crime.  He hired a realtor, who hired a stager, who contracted workers to do a myriad of things to the house we were too lazy to  do.

It sold in two days.  And closed in three weeks.  We returned to Maryland, and in four days, the house was completely empty.  Cleaning out that house was a living nightmare.  Don’t know what we would’ve done without family and friends and the Salvation Army!  The ordeal was exhausting yet exhilarating.  Frustrating, at times; hilarious, at others.

Now, we are both Floridians.  I am sweltering through my first Florida summer since 1970.  Still battling those weeds and Mexican petunias, but I’ll take it over snow, sleet and ice any day!  Naturally, I miss my family so, this year, I’ll be making six trips back to Maryland.  Probably, a bit excessive, but, hey, I’m the mom/grammy.

Bottom line.  I love my life with BH and our home sweet home.