Used to be you could look at our little acre and say “children live there”. Our yard always needed to be mowed, and the landscape was full of half finished gardens. Just behind the fence, in the backyard, many a pet has been laid to rest. In the front, the driveway was usually full of cars, and we had a basketball hoop. A trampoline was in the back, sometimes they brought the basketball hoop back by the trampoline, stuck a sprinkler underneath, and had a grand old time. Our dogs could be seen running around.
Inside our little ranch house, the bedroom doors were filled with keep out signs and pictures of favorite musicians; the bedroom walls were covered with pictures of baby lions and tigers and pics of friends in my daughter’s room, and on my son’s walls were posters of cars, skateboarders, and rock stars. The fridge and the cupboards were stocked with fun food; chocolate milk, juice boxes, Fruit by the Foot, and Lucky Charms were staples once upon a time. All the doorways, painted white, were sprinkled with fingerprints, and the kitchen floor was often adhesive. The basement had a 25 year old couch that was constantly draped with kids.
Sad to say, our humble abode has slowly morphed as our nest emptied. The basement, where once the sounds from the TV mingled with laughter, ping pong balls and awesome guitar riffs drifted up the stairs, has been remodeled into a practical room for entertaining adults(yawn…). Katie’s and Robby’s rooms are now a guest room and a catch-all room. Our kitchen is filled with fiber, no explanation necessary. My son’s piano, the one he taught himself to play on, and practiced all hours day and night, now sits quiet, and only serves as a place for his cat Layla to sunbathe. I have way too much time on my hands so the house is way too clean, including doorways and floors. The basketball hoop biffed it a few years back, and today the trampoline, all taken apart, is laying in a trash pile at the end of our empty driveway. But all hope is not lost. Someday we will have grandchildren, and the catch-all room will be a children’s room once again. Fun food will make a comeback, and the piano will be played again, quite loudly I am sure. Fingerprints and sticky spills will grace my walls and floors, and laughter will return to my basement. Until then, our yard still needs to be mowed, my gardens aren’t finished, the dogs still run around, and we still have fun with the sprinkler…
Wee Hour Words 