My wife and I are at the age where the parts on the parents are wearing out.
Papa is in a care facility, and Yaya is left lonely and alone in their home.
Being without Papa has been quite an adjustment for her; they were due to celebrate
their 50th wedding anniversary next week — but he no longer understands they're
married — he may not even recognize her any longer.
Yaya's health and mobility remain fair, and I believe it will for at least
the next few years — she has a degenerative muscular condition that will
eventually require dedicated care resources. I believe there's a significant
window between now and then.
Laurel and I have decided that while we're in this window, we want to bring Yaya into
our home. Doing that means selling our home and hers, and buying a larger home
for us all to live in.
We've found two homes in the area that will meet our needs.
The Big House
The first was
a gigantic place that backs up to a golf course. The master suite is actually
on the first floor, and is just about perfect for Yaya — the ensuite is built
with wheelchair access in mind. It seemed pretty clear to me the previous
occupants included someone with a disability. The downside of the home was
that the upstairs, though featuring three enormous bedrooms, had a single, small
bathroom, and a single stairway with a 90° turn (which may preclude
installation of a chair lift). Also, the home is situated back on it's property
on a busy street. In short, the home would be great for Yaya, but maybe not
super awesome for the rest of us, though there's plenty of space. We put an offer in on the
house, but it was sold to a cash buyer.... or was it?
That 70's House
The second home is... well, we thought The Big House was mind-blowing
until we saw this one. That 70's House is a beautifully constructed home
in a much quieter neighborhood. Lots of wood and stone accents were blended
with the interior to offer a kind of a rustic yet spacious feel. It has a
"bridge" that connects the two ends of the upstairs part of the home, and
that bridge has both an angled front stairway and a stright stairway from
the kitchen.
But the most mind-blowing thing about the home is it's basement — it has
10' ceilings and seems to go on for miles. The neighborhood seems to have
a lot of kids of roughly the same age as ours, and the home is within walking
distance to the new school opening this coming fall. We have an offer in
on the home, with the sale of our current home as a contingency.
War of the Decades
We've been very focused on That 70's House since learning The Big House
sold... but we learned yesterday that The Big House is back on the market.
(We had been wondering why the real estate company's sign had remained in
the yard for so long.) I find myself somewhat conflicted --
The Big House is cheaper up front, but I think we'd end up spending as much
as we would on That 70's House once you factor in putting in an upstairs
bathroom. The Big House is also outdated — it's 1960's origins are really
apparent in some places. Still, a lot of room and plenty of formal touches --
the living room has double-doors that open directly into the dining room,
and it's even got an entrance and food prep area that must have
been designed for staff. How cool is THAT?!
That 70's House is full of lovely upgrades, but still has some original
fixtures — for example, I think all of the shower enclosures in the four
full baths are original, and the glass rattles in each of them. That 70's House
also has a giant sunken tub in the master bath — it's a little ridiculous,
but it looks fun and I wanna try it out. The owners are in their 70's,
I think — I can't believe they're still using it. At least, not without
setting a step ladder down into it first. Laurel's afraid she's gonna
stumble over the edge of that tub one evening and really hurt herself. I can't
really say I blame her for being a little wary of it. At the same time, though,
the sinks on the first and second floors are all very stylish and modern
and fun. Some are hammered copper, others are glass; these contrast with
the hickory-style wood with emphasized grain (SO MUCH WOOD) throughout the home,
particularly in the kitchen.
Selling Our Home
Of course, nothing about these other homes will matter if we can't get our
home sold first. We had an open house last weekend that was very, very
well attended, and we've had one showing so far this week. None of this
seems to be moving fast enough, and I'm sure once it does we'll be wishing
things would slow down.
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