It's Beginning to Feel Like Home

Our house as seen
from Douglas Road

It's our fourth week at 53730 Juniper Road and the last few times we walked into our little house I thought that it was beginning to feel like home.  Thanks to Steve's care (head of maintenance) of us the first week, things are much better than they were.  The second window air conditioner has made cooling the bedrooms possible.  Plus the weather is cooler. The worst of this place is the little bathroom with no exhaust fan and a very feeble shower.  

This weekend's news was of a fatal shooting at a party house in South Bend.  It took place at a house of Holy Cross undergraduates and the neighbors said that there were often loud parties until the wee hours in the area.  That made me thankful for our quiet house where the only real noise is the toll road traffic but that is far enough away that it is not disturbing to me.  

Three roundabouts 
to our house

I am also thankful to have a washer and dryer in the kitchen.  I have to use the top of them for counter space but it is so good not to have to go to a laundromat.  Right now the bath towels are spinning in the dryer where I put them after our showers lest they get all sour smelling in the bathroom where they cannot dry out.

So three weeks from today we will leave for Princeton.  We have two dinner dates scheduled and at least three more in process.  I hope to practice the church organ soon but told David I would rather not play for Sunday's service.  

Yesterday I had visits with three friends or groups of friends.  It was good to have in person glimpses into their lives.  That was my most social day so far and today nothing is scheduled.  Although Jim suggested we think about our weekly grocery trip so that we avoid the football crowd this weekend.  Actually I have been so disorganized that I went to Martin's three days in a row earlier this week but but it is a quick and easy trip--easier than our grocery trips in Princeton.  (although every trip seems to involve three times of negotiating roundabouts!)

We turned on the TV last night to watch the Cubs without any drama of wondering which remote we should use and which button we should press.  The Marquee network is part of our package.  Sadly the Cubs lost on a passed ball in the bottom of the 9th but the loss was to the Phillies which I consider my team on the east coast. 

Maybe I'll go shopping at Talbott's or Chico's today.  Maybe I'll stop in at the Francis Branch Library.  Or maybe just sit on my lawn chair in the back yard and read a book.  Jim will meet his class this afternoon.  I am glad he is enjoying his students and the word from others is that they are enjoying the class.  So that is the most important takeaway from our seven week time away from Princeton.  And Princeton really is our "home." 

-------------September 21--Steve came by today to change the showerhead which will probably make our showers a better experience. I told him how much we appreciated him. I asked about his days off last week and he said they were spent playing golf which got our conversation going to courses in the area. Then he said that he tried being a professional bowler for a while in his youth but couldn't make a living at it so he got into maintenance. I had Jim tell him about his honorable withdrawal card from the Teamsters-probably one of the very few professors who can say that (thanks to summer jobs at Eckrich Meats in Kalamazoo). I told Steve he is the only former professional bowler we know! And what fun it is to know that. Now, if the shower is improved too how good that would be-even if we only have two weeks and two days left here. Yes, I am counting!