In September of 2008, Herb and I were happily living in a very old house in an elegant neighborhood with our new puppy, Zephyr. Our youngest daughter Kara decided she was tired of dorm life and wanted to live in the country, so she asked me to help her look for a place to live. The very first place we looked at was a rather neglected modular house perched on a hill. Kara didn’t think much of the house, but she loved the location!
The rental belonged to the owners of the main house, which happened to be for sale. Out of curiosity we asked the agent if we could see it. As soon as we walked into the huge great room and looked through the quadruple sliding glass doors to the valley that served as a “back yard,” we were hooked. Each room hooked us even farther, and the basement spa and 2 barns were just icing on the cake. Kara said, “Mom, you and Dad ought to buy this house!” She assured me that she wouldn’t mind living 600 feet away from us, but I assured her that Dad would never (that famous word of mine!) want to move.
We picked up a survey map and headed for home, nearly getting rear-ended by the real estate agent as I screeched to a stop by the mailbox. There on the side, below the first owner’s name, it said: Zephyr Hill Ranch. Kara and I looked at each other. Was it meant, or what?!
Back at home, we showed the survey map to Herb, & he said, “But Kara, would you like living so close to strangers?”
“Well,” I said, “we have a thought on that. How would you like to never pay board for the horses again?”
“What?!” Herb asked. “You mean sell the farm in Alabama?”
“No,” I said. “Sell this place and move there.”
“But I LIKE it here. I don’t WANT to move!” See? I know my husband so well!
“Well,” I said, “You don’t have to. But let me tell you about it . . .”
By the time I finished, he agreed that we should go see it together.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
And who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
So that is how we came to move here early last November. The city mice moved to the country—and discovered they had Come Home.
We'll miss the old house on LM, but we can't wait to see the new place! Tell mean old Carmen that he will make a really good Coq Au Vin if he keeps being nasty .... I have a really good recipe I could share (ha ha!)
ReplyDeleteMean old Carmen is going to be a Cock au Vin someday soon...he chased me down but I triumphed...with the help of a Mom!
ReplyDeleteHehe, I keep telling Mom that I'm going to buy your house on LM when I grow up! :D Tell all the chickens, ferrets, doggies, and horses hi from me!
ReplyDeleteI'd say, he's in the pot already after chasing me down the other day!
ReplyDeleteI don't think Carmen is fazed by anything as flimsy as a recipe! I think he is only impressed by violence. Hero got out the door & chased him good after Carmen chased Jenny. Poor Herb hollered himself hoarse at Hero until we caught him, but I don't think any of us felt TOO bad for Carmen! And Jenny might have even been secretly rooting for Hero!
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