The Grass Is Always Greener

It was probably about 12 years ago that I got the bright idea that I wanted to be a homeowner. Like many other people, I didn't want to throw away my income on rent and have nothing to show for it at the end of the day. So what if I was a single woman in the field of public education? Surely I could handle it, right??? Fast forward to January 2003 - I am now the proud(?) owner of a typical suburban home built in 1963. I loved the character of the house and all of the trees. I worked on painting and decorating; weekly trips to Home Depot and Bed, Bath, and Beyond filled my time. Skip ahead a few months and I have my first (of many) appointments with Rescue Rooter. Those fabulous trees I loved so much? Well, the roots had pretty much destroyed the original clay pipes. Eventually I was lucky enough to have my entire backyard dug up for some of those newfangled modern pipes. (Note the sarcasm, please.) Woo hoo! And of course, when you own a 40+ year old home, it's always something. In the past 2 years, I have become less enchanted with the idea of homeowning. Unfortunately, at this point in time, I'm stuck. Especially since this recession hit. What I have learned is that while homeowning can be rewarding, when you're a single girl, it can also be overwhelming. Do I do yardwork today, or do I clean the house? Or on a beautiful day like today, do I shun all responsibility and hang at the dog park with a good friend? There are many days when I would love to pack it all up and find a nice rental, or a townhome with less yard. Maybe in the near future . . .