Nixa, MO is Home
/How soon does a new house become a home? There are indications that it has happened very quickly with our move to Nixa, MO.
I’ve found places we need:
A place to buy groceries and other household needs (a Walmart within a couple of miles of our house)
The post office (within 3 miles)
A recycling center for all the cardboard and paper left from unpacking that is unusable by others (less than 2 miles)
Gas stations (in about a mile)
The yard
While we haven’t gotten everything unpacked, we have all the items we need day to day. The gardening tools need to be unpacked since there are some weeds and tree seedlings in the flower beds that should be pulled sooner rather than later. I’ve spotted a poison ivy plant growing under one of the cedars; I’ll need my gauntlet gloves to handle that one!
We had to wait for the ladder to arrive with the truck to hang our large wind chimes (sounds like church bells). It was not something on the critical path of being able to live in the house but I wanted them up and making their beautiful sounds….another indicator that the house has become home.
I have discovered the joy of time outdoors on the patio in the early morning…creating a Zentangle tile or two…listening to the birds and the neighborhood waking up. Another discovery – fold the chair cushions down when not in use so that the part you sit on will stay free of bird poop!
The rose bushes in the back of our house are still blooming and maybe they will continue a bit longer since I’ve started watering them. I cut a flower to bring into my office recently…a sign that I am feeling at home.
The neighborhood
I’ve intentionally gotten out and about the neighborhood even while I was unpacking…enjoyed the pool more than I thought I would (particularly after 5 PM when it isn’t crowded) and the walk around the ponds. Looking forward to walking the entire neighborhood over the next month or so.
The inside of the house
We’re still arranging lamps, but the rest of the furniture is in place. There are rooms that are already exactly the way we want them.
Our internet service is not consistent throughout the house and there are some minor repairs that need to be made. It’s frustrating when problems can’t be immediately fixed. We’re persistent and confident the issues all be resolved.
We are experimenting with laundry….the laundry chute is still novel and fun. One of our old oscillating fans has found a home in the laundry room while the clothes we hang up from the washer dry. But do we hang/fold clothes from the dryer in the laundry or upstairs? Not sure which way is going to work best for us. We did end up replacing the washer/dryer left by the previous owner.
We’re eating most of our meals at home again.
The security system has been reset to our codes rather than the previous owner’s (which were unknown to us).
Within a month of closing…the house will be fully our home. It started to feel like home as soon as the moving van arrived with our ‘stuff’ 6 days after we closed on the house…then a continuing trend toward the feeling of home until we get everything situated as we want it and are comfortable with the way we are living in the house.
