Window Shopping


This post originally ran on New England Mamas. I’m going to be pulling some of my favorite posts over here to keep them all under one “roof”. Hope you don’t mind the repeat if you’ve seen this before.

————————————————-

Would you ever consider moving?


Fairly Odd Father (otherwise known as my husband) asked the question casually, having just returned from a week-long conference in North Carolina (
really nice weather!, the people are so friendly!).

I paused before answering in the most passive-aggressive manner possible, saying: Only if it is for a year, and we don’t have to sell the house.

In other words, nononononononononono!

I love this little corner of the world we have carved out for ourselves. Our house is neither grand, nor brand new, nor all that unique (colonials being a dime a dozen in New England). But we are surrounded by trees and have the kind of neighbors that make you banish the thought of a fence.

But, even more than our home or neighbors, I feel at home in New England. As autumn starts dipping its toe into our state, I get that familiar feeling of anticipation over the show of colors that will soon be everywhere. Leaves will fall so we can crunch them under our shoes. Apples will ripen so that we can eat them right off the tree. The nights will get cooler so that we can sleep with an extra blanket on the bed.

And, then, with any luck, we’ll get snow. I’m not sure why I get so excited about snow, but school cancellations are thrilling to me. I hop on the computer to check the cancellation list like a 15-year-old; this practice is made more peculiar when you realize that I am neither 15, nor in school; in fact, we homeschool so are not affected by the weather.

Fairly Odd Father pointed out that North Carolina has four seasons. . .sort of. Well, no snow, he admitted. To which I said, and that is good because ? ? ?

(I’m fickle, though. By February, I’m done with the snow; by May, I’m done with rain; by August, I’m done with humidity; and by November, I’m done with all those leaves in our yard).

Name a place and I can tell you why I wouldn’t want to leave here for there.

Friends new to Southern California gushed: We’re finding that it’s as nice here as everyone says it is! But, the lack of rain (less than an inch in the first half of the year) unnerves me, and there is that lack of snow to liven things up.

Other friends are in Kansas, and I have spent many fun days in Chicago; both may be lovely places to live, but I would need to be flown out to an ocean every few months. Plus, I once lived in the tornado belt and heard that siren enough for a lifetime.

After visiting Portland, Oregon, I thought it came pretty close to an ideal place to live, but it is r-e-a-l-l-y far from my mom and my sister’s family, and it seems to rain an awful lot. Love snow, don’t love rain.

I’ve also visited Austin, Seattle, Colorado ski country, San Diego, Washington DC, various parts of Florida and Arizona, New Orleans, New York City, the Jersey Shore, parts of Pennsylvania, Costa Rica, the coasts of Canada, and a bit of Europe. In every place, I see something that helps me to understand why someone would want to live there—either it is lovely weather, great culture, fun people or beautiful scenery (or any combination of these).

But, I keep coming back to my home in Eastern Massachusetts, a place with its own version of lovely weather, plenty of culture and history, people I love, and scenery that can stop me in my tracks.

We have agreed, though, that we would consider moving to a new state if the opportunity arose.

What could get me to leave my town, my state?


Why, it could only be the land of Ben & Jerry’s, maple syrup, Burlington, snow and rolling hills: Vermont.

For Vermont, I’d risk it all.

Comments

  1. What a lovely post. Are you getting paid by the New England tourism society?

    Vermont, huh? All I know about Vermont I learned from Bob Newhart. Ummm. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not.

    We've friends who have just moved to a town a 12 hour drive from here. They have no family there. Have no jobs. Don't know a soul. Have only visited three times. But they are convinced it's perfect and that once settled everything in their lives will be dreamy. I'm not sure if I should laugh at them or pity them.

  2. What a lovely post. Are you getting paid by the New England tourism society?

    Vermont, huh? All I know about Vermont I learned from Bob Newhart. Ummm. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not.

    We've friends who have just moved to a town a 12 hour drive from here. They have no family there. Have no jobs. Don't know a soul. Have only visited three times. But they are convinced it's perfect and that once settled everything in their lives will be dreamy. I'm not sure if I should laugh at them or pity them.

  3. Tracey - Just Another Mommy Blog says

    That's how I feel about my homeland. The Chicago area is where my roots are, my family is, and my memories were all made. I cannot imagine being further than an hour from here. AT ALL.

  4. Tracey - Just Another Mommy Blog says

    That's how I feel about my homeland. The Chicago area is where my roots are, my family is, and my memories were all made. I cannot imagine being further than an hour from here. AT ALL.

  5. I'll go! I've visited many states in the US, but I've never even been to North Carolina, so what is it that makes me want to live there?

    I love the different seasons and simply NEED to be near the ocean, but I could skip winter (or most of it), so North Carolina seems like a good compromise for me.

    And while I love that my family and my kids' cousins are in Massachusetts, I vow I will not live the rest of my days here. I make that promise to my husband every single year about mid February. I'm not sure if he'll be coming with me.

  6. I'll go! I've visited many states in the US, but I've never even been to North Carolina, so what is it that makes me want to live there?

    I love the different seasons and simply NEED to be near the ocean, but I could skip winter (or most of it), so North Carolina seems like a good compromise for me.

    And while I love that my family and my kids' cousins are in Massachusetts, I vow I will not live the rest of my days here. I make that promise to my husband every single year about mid February. I'm not sure if he'll be coming with me.

  7. solsticemom says

    The one that keeps me from moving to Vermont is the cold/snow. I'm so not a winter person.

  8. solsticemom says

    The one that keeps me from moving to Vermont is the cold/snow. I'm so not a winter person.

  9. Jessica {Team Rasler} says

    I live just outside of Seattle, and I miss the snow terribly. Whenever it looks like we will get a rare winter storm, I feel like a kid in a candy store, waiting for school closure information and that beautiful white blanket of snow while all the natives freak out.

    I love New England (though I'm originally from Michigan, I went to college in CT) and I, too, could move to the land of Ben & Jerry's!! If only I could convince my husband to leave Microsoft…

  10. Jessica {Team Rasler} says

    I live just outside of Seattle, and I miss the snow terribly. Whenever it looks like we will get a rare winter storm, I feel like a kid in a candy store, waiting for school closure information and that beautiful white blanket of snow while all the natives freak out.

    I love New England (though I'm originally from Michigan, I went to college in CT) and I, too, could move to the land of Ben & Jerry's!! If only I could convince my husband to leave Microsoft…

  11. Having just moved to New England after thinking about it for 12 years, this post really struck a chord. And yes, Vermont. We're really close to it but not quite. It's beautiful up here in its own way and I hope we'll stay for many, many years (with the occasional midwinter vacation to warmer places built in).

    Kirsten A.

  12. Having just moved to New England after thinking about it for 12 years, this post really struck a chord. And yes, Vermont. We're really close to it but not quite. It's beautiful up here in its own way and I hope we'll stay for many, many years (with the occasional midwinter vacation to warmer places built in).

    Kirsten A.

Leave a Reply to Tracey - Just Another Mommy Blog Cancel reply

*

CommentLuv badge