Posts Tagged home
The world in the crawl space
Many of us will never crawl underneath our home if there is crawl space there. Why not? Because it is scary, dirty, and just not what the typical homeowner desires to do. However, we really do not know the home without seeing it from beneath. There is a world of insects, spiders, and perhaps other critters living and moving down there, under our feet.
Now, I never lived in a home with crawl space, or maybe I did when growing up. I just don’t remember or perhaps, never observed. We see the home from particular angles of satisfaction. It never dawned on me to get underneath a home until recently.
Someone convinced me to crawl into the unknown darkness of a home’s crawl space to experience this view of a part of the property. I have always liked an adventure. I had my fear: fear of encountering a snake, ugly spiders, a rodent, a sharp object. This is Florida. I know we have snakes. However, I did it. I crawled and crawled, got very dirty, and had my flashlight. I had to move fallen insulation out of the way, and piles of board. I am alive to tell the tell. Not the particular kind of adventure I have had in the past: hiking across foreign lands, encountering military outposts, being subjected to interrogation when living in a South American country, and the canoe trips.
Underneath some of our homes, we can go on an adventure too.
Add comment October 22, 2008
I wonder who lived in this house
The other day, I saw this lovely, charming, home, near Madison, Florida. I had to pull out my Treo, and take a few pictures of it. Someone at sometime, lived in this house, ate in it, washed in it, changed clothes in it, stored materials in it, and was comforted by the home atmosphere. In other words, this dilapidated, run down, wooden structure, served the need for one or more individuals.
I really was not trying to be cute by saying that this is a lovely, charming, home. However, it probably was in the past. I have seen many structures like this, that at one time served as a comfortable home. I have often stopped my car to get out and walk around, and into these abandoned houses. I never get tired of that, and it fascinates me. I look forward to the next abandoned home that I can explore. There are plenty of abandoned homes in northwest Florida.
Since childhood, I have been fascinated with old structures, and abandoned homes,such as this. Dad took me to old ghost towns when we lived a couple years in New Mexico, when I was an elementary aged child. We walked in and out of abandoned buildings on abandoned roads. This had an impact on my interest in old structures. If you have not experienced the sights, sounds, and smells of abandoned towns, ghost towns, you have missed an experience that I can say, I have had.
I recall the summers I spent on my grandpa’s farm, in Santa Rosa County, Florida, and the exploration I did of old wooden barns and storage building on his, and nearby farms. It was fun climbing in and out of these wwden buildings, exploring lofts, dark rooms, and passageways. It was fun climbing up onto the roofs, and entering through open spaces between walls. I used these buildings as if they were tree houses. One farm had maybe 10 different building to explore. What joy for a 10 year old. I think these simple wooden structures held more interest to me that teasing, and scaring the pigs and chickens.
Later, as I did my three years in the service, stationed in Germany, I walked all over the land, into the countryside, into the forests, and found old structures, some even medieval, and had opportunities to enter and explore these abandoned dwellings.
Each building is a story. I like to imagine and contemplate on those who used the buildings and what they did in them. A picture tells a thousand words the saying goes, well, seeing an abandoned building is a picture, and thousands of words are telling a story. We just have to ponder the story as we view and experience the house, barn or other abandoned improvement on the land.
Add comment August 21, 2008
Crooked Creek Development with Butterflies
Today, I took a 30 minute drive from Tallahassee, Florida, to the small community of Monticello, in neighboring, Jefferson County. I had some business to complete at the old Jefferson High School, and it is old. I think of the memories these old school have for prior students. Monticello is an old, country community, with a lot of community pride, history, and in an area surrounded by horse farms, and horse stables, as well as evergreen forests. I see not just a few varieties of evergreens, but a vast array of green trees, as well as the seasonal leaf throwers. The old historic district of Monticello, has its big, stately turn of the century homes, and yards filled with an abundance of plants of many identities. I can’t help but get garden ideas from these old, out of the way communities.
In Monticello there is a new single family home development, called Crooked Creek, which is spacious, and at this time, only has infrastructure, and a couple homes. Once filled with homes, this will be a big neighborhood, but at this time, it is an empty piece of nature, with roads running through it.
Today, in Crooked Creek subdivision, I saw many yellow butterflies, big white birds with long necks, and a variety of different kinds of trees, mostly evergreen trees. You can tell I don’t know my flora and fauna names, but I do know the harmony and beauty of living in and surrounded by nature, because for most of my life I have been in that situation, and have been so united with nature.
I think of nature as another way of describing the creation of God. Nature is good, because nature is God. God made nature, and God is good. When I look at the forests, the trees, butterflies flying around together, birds together, all the beautiful, harmonious pieces of nature, I think of the verse from Genesis in which it says, “God saw everything he had made, and behold it was very good.” What I saw today was very good too.
I talk to so many people who want land, or want to have a quieter lifestyle, with the loveliness of creation appearing all around them, outside of thick urban areas. Tallahassee is much like that with all its parks, trees making the area look like a forest, and the many green, conservation zones between neigborhoods. Monticello, Florida is a community like this: green trees all over, quiet residential streets, a nature friendly, and people friendly community. Yes, God’s green creation, and for many, a garden of loveliness. Crooked Creek will be that comfort zone for individuals and families.
Crooked Creek is so easy to get to from the Tallahassee. The people in Monticello live a quiet, countryfied life, and yes, with those yellow butterflies, and can still get to Tallahassee for the many benefits of that larger community.
Add comment August 9, 2008
What Trees to do Me
Around my home are many trees. We have a green zone of trees in our back, with rabbit, deer, fox, turtle, and other living organisms. I grew up with trees and in most homes i lived in, in California, New Mexico, northwest Florida, Connecticut, there was a green zone either in the back yard, or close by. Always there were trees around the homes. To this day, I appreciate what trees do for the world, what values they have, and the beauty they have. Dad took me camping a lot when I was a young child, and I grew up in boy scouts. We went to a lot of interesting forests. I learned a lot about trees, how to tell the age of trees from the trees rings, how to identify certain trees. I read inspiring poems from great poets about trees. I read the thoughts and stories of the earlier native cultures in the Americas about trees. I am now teaching my son, and other children that I come in contact with, the importance of respecting, honoring and protecting trees, and what trees do for us.
Not too many decades ago, real estate developers, and builders went into an area, and literally removed all the trees to build what they felt was more important that saving the lives of trees. Of course, some trees have to be removed, this is logical, but not every single tree. Trees are part of natural ecosystems, and can color the landscaping.
Today, some, not all, developers are careful about removing all the trees, and do keep some of the trees in place. Also, laws or local ordinances have sprung up making those who cut down trees in the course of their business, to plant new trees. Tallahassee, Florida, has such an ordinance. In fact it is very hard to cut down trees in this community without a permit. Neighbors have had old, enormous Oak trees in or near their property, and have had a difficult time getting permission to have the big guy cut down. Tallahassee folks love trees as I do, and we are blessed with having so many canopy roads, roads with tree branch ceilings. There is a local group as well as local government, working to protect those trees from future threats.
Trees give us so many things. I will name a few that come to mind. They give us oxygen. Remember studying photosynthesis in biology class. Yes, trees need carbon dioxide to make oxygen for us breathing organisms. Cut down too many trees and the oxygen supply is in danger, and will be reduced. Of couse the seas also give us oxygen, as well as bushes.
Trees are the home to many other living organisms, squirrels, birds make nests, and so forth. Also there is the symbiotic relationship between trees and other plant life.
Trees are fun places for children to climb and make tree houses. What boy does not want to play in a tree house, and have his own club for his buddies.
Trees give us rubber for our tires, wood for furniture, paper we so religiously use, and wood for our homes. Most homes built today have a wood frame. Just drive by most any new home development under construction. What do you see going up: wood boards. We get pencils from our trees. I cannot neglect to mention the vast amount of medicines, and other chemical products that come from trees.
I like looking out at trees. I like visiting parks and forests, camping in the forests, admiring the stateliness, beauty and perfection of the trees. I can’t get enough trees in my life. They are my friends, each and everyone of them.
My suggestion to the world, is that we think carefully before chopping down a tree, or having someone do it. I would suggest that we make sure our local representatives pass ordinances to protect the trees in their communities. I would also suggest that more of us get out in nature, camp among the trees, and review the workings of photosynthesis, which is an necessary process for our survival on earth.
Tallahassee and its surroundings have so many trees, state parks for camping, hiking, getting out in nature, and a big national forest. This is a community of green everywhere it seems. Many other communities in Florida, such as Jacksonville, and Tampa, have few if any canopy roads, and have cut down most of their trees. I am proud of Tallahassee’s stand to protect its trees.
Visting and driving through the older neighborhoods, you see what was trees that that have been standing in their ground for so many years. There are trees several hundred years old. Yes, there is an abundance of old trees here. When looking homes with your real estate agent, talk about the trees if you like trees. Ask that one of the features that your home must have is trees in the yard, or a green zone out back.
Add comment December 27, 2007
What a Home Means
There are many words that describe a home, that define what a home is to many people. A home can mean many things, for sure. Here are some of the words that I find describes a home:
Relatedness- the feeling of relating to something beautiful solid, and tangible.
Connectedness- humans need connection, the feeling of oneness with our surroundings.
Family- home is family solidarity, family togetherness.
Hearth- in ancient cultures, the hearth, fire, fireplace centered the home, the dwelling.
Comfort zone- a home is our zone of protection from the elements.
Storage facility- we need a place to put and store our belongings, our prized possessions.
Food bank- with those big pantrys, we can keep a lasting food supply.
Entertainment center- today’s technology makes the home an entertainment center.
Business center- we sit around the kitchen table and write checks, plan our finances. We even have home offices and work out of the home (some of us).
Planning center- what better place to plan that vacation than at home by the fireplace.
School house- with more people home schooling their children, the home serves as a school.
Escape from work- after a hard day, tiring day, the home is our peace and refuge.
Protection- we feel secure in our homes, from weather, society, and dangers.
Conversation- we use our home to hold conversations with family, and friends.
Gardening- a home serves as a place to plant the seeds of a healthy garden.
Trying new ideas- we can afford to experience and experiment with new ideas in the home, such as a new furniture arrangement, new decorations, a new shelf added to the wall.
Technology center- we test the latest technology in the home, and have quite a performance of computer, wireless, digital TV, fax, printer, and much more.
The hub- just like airlines have a hub, the home is our hub. We move in and our daily, but always return the Hub.
Colors- everyone is sensitive to colors, and certain colors we employ and others we paint over.
Maybe there are other words you can use to describe the feeling of home, but that is my list. Today, the home offers activities that were not found in prior eras. Technology is more advanced today, and more a focus of our lives: computer, cell phone, and the home serves to integrate these technological innovations.
There is one underlying element however, that keeps the home, the home, and that is the feeling of ownership, fee simple ownership. This is the right to do what you want in your own property, and hold title to the rights of ownership. It is a wonderful feeling, when you legally, and actually own a property. Renters have the rights of possession, but miss out on full ownership, fee simple ownership.
What make home to everyone however, is warmth and peace. When we have that, we have home.
Add comment December 21, 2007
The First Home I Listed in Leon County
A few years ago, in the fast moving seller’s market that we experienced here in Tallahassee, I listed, and marketed this traditional ranch style home sitting on an acre of land on Williams Road outside of Tallahassee, in Leon County, in the southeast direction, in the country, yet close to town.Since than I have sold other properties in and outside Tallahassee, but this one is memorable for many reasons. It was a pleasure working with the sellers, and coordinating the home selling and home buying transaction. Much goes on behind the scenes in a real estate transaction to put it all together. Many service provides get involved: mortgage professionals, appraiser, home inspector, WDO inspector, surveyor, title representatives, closing coordinator, agents, moving company contacts, home repair professionals (if required), recorder.
Add comment November 18, 2007
