It's Not Home Anymore

Coming back to the house in Colorado this time has been a very different experience than the previous trips. Yes, it was great to see my wife and the dogs again.  But it just didn't feel like home.

Since I was last here my wife has continued to get rid of all our "stuff" and the house is pretty empty.  In addition to everything that found a new home during the estate sale, now several other larger pieces of furniture were now gone.  A large entertainment center, the piano, a coffee table, and even the entire bedroom set were no longer here.  It almost reminds me of our first apartment...you know, the one you move into before you ever owned any furniture.

The ghost of living-room past.

The family room is empty except for a couple boxes.  The kitchen is the most furnished with a card table and couple of ratty chairs taking the place of our old dinette set (however, the cupboards are pretty empty, so no entertaining or complex cooking can be done).  There is one sectional sofa in the living room...and it is promised to a friend once we are ready to leave.  My computer sits on a TV tray stand that is also promised to someone else.  The lamp, the dog beds, and the computer are all that is really still ours.

In our bedroom there is only the mattress laying on the floor, an old tube television set with HD converter box, and some boxes and laundry baskets that contain some clothing and serve as makeshift nightstands and dressers.  The only other items that can be found in the house are a few odds and ends we need to take to the boat (like clothing and some tools) and stuff that will be donated to various charities or given to friends over the next few days.

Having been my home for the past 18 years, this space now seems quite foreign to me.  It feels like we are camping in the ghost of our previous home.  But it definitely isn't home anymore. I can't wait to get back home...to the boat.