I Feel Like Diane Lane

Well, not like Diane Lane, per se, but like her character in the movie Under The Tuscan Sun. I bought a house, moved into it a week and a half ago and I am constantly thinking of Diane's character after she first bought her house. Mine is in an American city where Diane's was in the Italian country and mine was built in 1926 rather than 1726, but the parallels of homeownership are apparent.

Let us take a look at some of the similarities. We both have toilet issues. Mine do not give me "asscials", but they do require some jiggling of handles to stop them from running. Diane had a faucet she could not turn on, I have one that I could not turn off this morning. [After deciding to fill my mop bucket in the soaking tub in the basement, I turned on the COLD water and out came steaming HOT rusty water. Unfortunately, turning the handle off did not make the water stop. I'm not a plumber, how in the world to I make this stop, my mind shouted. Luckily I have some hidden abilities and I was able to summon my inner plumber to save the day, but it was scary for a few minutes!] We both have critters to deal with: Diane has her snake and owl, I have my spiders and blue jays. And as Diane learned to harvest olives from her trees, I am learning to harvest Italian plums, Kelsey plums, cherries, blackberries, rhubarb, and grapes from my small plot of land.

Though the connections made above are sometimes frustrating, they are by no means unique to the stories of myself of Diane's character. Having these similarities with a movie reminds me of all of the other homeowners out there going through exactly the same thing which makes me feel a little more settled and normal. I also take away from the movie a sense that everything will work out and that the process of making a house your own is the fun part. That every little bit of love an attention that I put into my house will be paid back to me and more. Even after this short week and a half, I already feel bonded with the house in a way that seemed so distant on the first day I moved in. It is obvious when one walks into this space that it is freshly occupied, but it is also obvious that a symbiotic relationship is in the works and both I and the house are nourished and enlivened by each other. As comfortable as I was living in my apartment for the last two years, it surprised me to find that when I walk through the door of the new house after work I truly feel HOME! The apartment never did that for me. Sure, I was away from work, I was where I could sleep safely and eat and entertain myself when in the apartment, but it is so nice to now know I actually have a home!