Feeling at home

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a very comforting feeling of home. Very peaceful. Kind of like I’m at the right place. (Makes me wonder if this is the calm before I die. Yes, I go dark sometimes.) I have lived in the same house for 15 years so I’m not sure what’s different.

Some feelings that are triggered by the home I grew up in and how we lived. Then there are other things too.

My childhood home had a lot of trees. The yard was shady but not dense shade. There was enough sun for a good-sized garden but the patio was shady which made for wonderful sitting. There were many days I spent in a lounge on the shady porch that were very happy. I read a lot of books there. Great memories.

We didn’t have air conditioning so outside was cooler than inside although with all the trees, our house was never hot and stuffy like some of my friends. From that I can conclude that warm breezes, summertime and a shady inviting patio/porch can trigger happy feelings. (Damn, I need to bottle that up and sell it!)

Several years ago we replaced a tree that was struggling with a larger shade tree that is putting dappled shade on our patio and around our screened porch. It has made it feel so much more like home than the sun beating down on the hot pavers.

Then there are the breezes. We are lucky here. Most summer days come with breezes. They are life savers on a really hot day as long as you don’t have to work in full sun. If we have outdoor work, we try to move around with the sun, always working in the shade. We don’t get so cranky that way and the margarita tastes just as good.

Then there are cats. No one naps like a cat. Full into it. Smile on the face. Just happy to be alive. Animals live in the now. It’s a good lesson for us all. Nothing says home to me more than happy pets. Happy pets that get along.

Perhaps it’s all a wave of nostalgia, like hearing a song from your youth and suddenly feeling like you’re 16. It’s still a great feeling to be home.

What makes you feel home?

57 thoughts on “Feeling at home”

  1. Oh, definitely the cats! I’ve trained Roxie D to stay out on the patio with me under my lounge chair and not run off. It took lots of treats, but the lesson has sunk in. Sometimes I find myself reading out loud to her. She seems to like the same books I do! (Just not the ZuZu Series)

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  2. I happened to note that one of your tags was “aging gracefully,” Kate, and I wonder if that’s not a part of what you’re experiencing. I sure think I am! I am easily caught up in nostalgia. I don’t know when that first became really apparent to me, but as long as I stay with the happy memories, it’s quite nice. I’ve lived in our home for 46 years! I think there may come a time we will downsize, but for now, it’s a haven, a respite from all the clamor “out there.” I loved reading how you described the feelings accompanying your home, and it’s a lovely gift. Despite the work, we’re fortunate to have homes that encourage peaceful living. Your home sounds really lovely! I know the cats think it is, so there you go!

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    • I wish we would have built a smaller ranch. I wanted to downsize at that time but my husband wasn’t ready. We are both healthy but I’ve seen some of my friends go through health issues and second floor bedrooms are not kind.

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  4. I am an admitted home body. I’ve said it a million times before, and will again, as much as I love to travel, my favorite part of the adventure is coming home. The taxi pulling up in the driveway, the key in the door, the cats ignoring me…!! On a warm sunny day my favorite thing is to sit out on my roof deck with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and two cats curled up snoozing under the chairs. That is what I would bottle!

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  5. I love my home. It’s my favorite place to be. I don’t think about my childhood home much. It was not an especially happy place. Not a really a bad place just not all that good. I survived and life is good.🐱

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  7. There are many different kinds of pleasures. You’ve done an exquisite job of describing the pleasure of home. Our surroundings have a big influence on how we feel–at least for me. When I’m tired or when I’ve been away for a while, it’s so good to be home again in the place I’ve made to suit my tastes.

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  12. I love the smell of fresh baking, always reminds me of Mum on a Sunday up to her elbows in flour making pies, cakes and sausage rolls.
    Turning it round a bit, the best compliment anyone can give us when they visit is falling asleep on the couch. It mean they’re comfortable and relaxed (or possibly bored with our company!).

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  13. I know exactly what you mean. Since I moved back from Florida, I finally get to experience the seasons again, and that always meant home. I’ve been feeling as you described a lot lately myself (and I tend to go dark with it sometimes, too ;-)). Simple things like breathing the scent of damp, cut grass or seeing lightning bugs. Neither of which I experienced in Florida. Yes, grass was cut there, but the climate and a totally different type of grass didn’t really have a recognizable scent. I sit on my back deck and relax into that sense of home.

    Thanks for sharing this.

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  15. I love my home too. My husband and I also travel because we feel that we need to take advantage of our good health and sense of adventure now. But, we always enjoy coming home to our friends, neighborhood and all the things we find familiar. I imagine that, as time goes on, the comfort of home will win out over the desire to see other places.

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  16. Oh what sweet feelings of home! I love the dappled shady spots too since growing up in Fla with no air conditioning. And our adorable sleeping dogs….and the scent of burning peanut butter cookies. My mom was a terrible cook. 😊

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  18. I’ve moved quite a bit, but I’ve been alone in one place now going on 5 years with my kitty and I quite like it here. I hope I can stay until I retire. It’s a private back apartment and suits me as a writer.

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  19. Hmmmm… smooth jazz playing, an eye of round in the slow cooker or CH grilling while I sit with him with a glass of wine. I agree about the breezes. I am at home when I am with CH on the lanai with a good breeze, ceiling fan running, listening to other people laughing and enjoying their lanai time, and watching all the birds, Allie Gators, and turtles that are new to us on and around the lake with the lake fountain making its own summer song. I think we truly are finally at home. I agree about this being a lovely post to start the day. I love that comforting feeling of home that you mention.

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  20. Smells and songs. That is what does it for me. My Mom was a wonderful cook and baker. Even the thought of the things she would make can give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I drive with the windows open whenever I can and enjoy the “oldies” and hot breezes.

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  24. Home feels like when I’m with Dear Husband and we’ve fallen into a contemplative silence, but it doesn’t have that awkward feel to it. I don’t have to entertain him with conversation. He doesn’t have to amuse me with a card game. This silent comfort in one another’s presence doesn’t happen anywhere else except at home.

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  26. Remember that song about “a very very fine house – with 2 cats in the yard” ? This post and that song sound like lazy hazy days of summer back before the buzzing AC noises. Every house had a screen porch, kids reading outside, and trees encouraged to grow – for shade, not curb appeal.
    Lovely post to start the day

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