We are looking to buy a house. My parents, generous as they are, would like to have their house back so when they walk into their kitchen they can find their knives, peeler, and frying pans where they left them.
We are not so eager to buy a house. There is something about handing over all the money you have spent your whole life saving to buy this one thing that is made out of wood and drywall and if you kick it hard, you will make a hole in it.
We have put off buying a house through 10 years of marriage, 2 kids and a dog mainly because we have moved around the world so much, but also because we have different ideas about what a house should be.
Jeremy grew up in a crowded house, 1200-1500 square feet 4 kids, 2 parents and at least 1 dog and sometimes a foreign exchange student. Jeremy has slept in garages, closets and living rooms. Everyone in the Martin house talked very often and since you didn’t have much privacy, everyone pretty much heard what you said.
I grew up in a house where there was 1 extra bedroom where you put random stuff like boxes of old photos and the extra twin bed. There were always the formal living room and the formal dining rooms which were rarely used. We talked not very often and since you had your own room, pretty much no one needed to hear what you said.
So we are at an impasse about how much space do you really need for 4 people and a dog? I would say a little more, Jeremy would say a little less. Throw in a few physical accommodations because of Edda and basically we have a negotiation that will last until the end of the summer.
Here’s a banana slug that we saw in Marin over spring break. I bet he has a nice house that isn’t too big or too small. Lucky guy.
