Sold.

My parent's house was picked up by a couple seeking a good deal, and I was agreeable. They offered a lot less than we asked, but I knew we had asked too much. They agreed to a counter offer, and want to close quickly. They have cash and are excited to move. I will be happy to have this off of my plate.

Or will I?

My parents had this home built 30 years ago. None of us children have ever really lived there. Early on, my sister and I stayed for a few months at a time, but it has never been "our family home." We have had family Christmases, birthdays, anniversaries, and such at this home, but none of us have ever had a full time family experience in this house. It has always been our parent's home, not our home.

Still, there is something a bit bittersweet about this particular ending. I remember the house being built, in this new area of the town where we all grew up. I remember the cool bricks they picked out for the biggest fireplace that I had ever seen. My father even put in the first sun heated water system, an unheard of concept at the time. I was proud of my folks at the time. This was a new feeling for me, and the house still holds these memories.

I suppose this house represents my adult years, and all the changes that have occurred between the ages of 20 and 60 (or close to it). I am happy that someone wants to buy it and update it and make it their own; I don't hold "stuff" as mine. Yet, there is no longer a place for any of us in Eau Claire - the town I grew up in and the town that holds happy, as well as sad, memories.

And that is all I have to say for now.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis