Sunday, August 10, 2014

Home

I love my cozy, little home.  When I have the opportunity to speak to my neighbours, in the same condo complex, I appreciate it even more.  I think that Ken and I lucked into the best unit on the entire property.

The complex consists of condo town homes that run in a circle around a driveway, on both sides of the drive.  The property is bordered on 3 sides by fences with metal gates that lock.  The fourth side is covered by two high-rise apartment buildings, and, between them, a guard house and the entrance to the underground parking garage.

The townhouse buildings are four stories tall.  The first floor consists of two-bedroom flats.  The top three floors are three-bedroom homes.  Ken and I are in one of the flats.   Our perfect little hide-away.

When summer storms come through, we don't have to worry about a basement flooding.  (Underneath us is the parking garage.)  We don't have to worry about the roof.  (That's our upstairs' neighbours' problem.)

Our front door opens onto a tiny patio.  Our back door opens onto a corridor that leads to the trash chute and the elevator to the parking garage.  It's a house at the front, an apartment at the back!  The best of both worlds!

We're not near the trash chute, so we don't have to listen to bags of garbage rattle and clunk inside our walls.  We're not near the elevator, so we don't have to listen to it heave and ping.  We're not near any of the metal gates, so we don't have to listen to them clang shut every time someone goes through.

We don't face onto the pretty green park at the centre of the circle of buildings.  That's actually a good thing, because the security cameras show that people have been dealing crack in the gazebo.  Charming!  Also, there are some young couples who take shelter to there... To paraphrase our condo board chairman "If I wanted to show you those security tapes on TV, I would have to first display a warning of graphic images."

There are kids who use the central park as their personal play area.  By "play" I mean running around screaming all evening until bedtime.  I can hear them from my home when my windows are open in the summer.  I would hate to be even closer to their shenanigans.  The parents have been notified that this creates a disturbance, but apparently they couldn't care less.

We have a few families on site that enjoy having raucous barbecue parties, involving drinking, music, and sometimes the viewing of sports games with the accompanying roar of cheers.  None of those families live on my block.

We have heard stories of people abusing the property in various ways, such as tossing their cigarette butts off balconies to land on the patios of neighbours below.  How rude!  My upstairs neighbours have never done that.  There was also someone in another block who emptied a kitty litter box down the trash chute directly, without pouring the litter into a garbage bag first.  Nice!

Our block is generally quiet and polite.  There are some wailing babies, and whiny dogs, but that's par for the course.  Last weekend, the neighbours across the way woke me up at 5:30 am.  They had their car out on the driveway, and were slamming the doors and speaking in raised voices to each other.  I couldn't tell if they were home very late from a night out or setting off early for a camping expedition, because they were speaking in Korean.  Fortunately, this was a one-off situation.

Therefore, I declare my home to be perfect, and I plan to possibly never, ever move.  How about you?  How satisfied are you with your home?

9 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

I'm never satisfied with anything. Here in the States the damn leaf blowers bug me, and in the UK I can always hear the distant hum of the motorway . But I'm assuming no house is perfect, well apart from yours! Lucky you!

DarcKnyt said...

Be blessed and happy in your perfect little home! It sounds just right, most of the time. Like Mary Poppins, "Practically perfect in every way." :)

Ours got orders of magnitude better when the neighbors we had upstairs moved out, and a much, much quieter - though earlier rising - older couple moved in upstairs. :)

Warped Mind of Ron said...

Other than the street crime, home invasions and gunfire it's not that bad. I'm used to it I guess.

Ginny said...

I'm surround by loud drunk college students most months out of the year. I can't wait to move somewhere quieter. Seems like you are in a nice spot.

Sparkling Red said...

Joey: Leaf blowers are ridiculous. What's wrong with a good, old-fashioned rake?

DarcKnyt: Ah yes, neighbours can make all the difference.

Ron: As long as your gang is the dominant gang, it's a great place to live, right?

Ginny: That sounds very trying. I hope you get a chance to move soon.

G. B. Miller said...

My house sits on the end of the street directly across from a mountain, so it's about as perfect as you can get. Summertime is the best time to listen to Mother Nature's finest.

Father Nature's Corner

Jenny Woolf said...

It is a blessing to find a home that you feel is right for you. And a blessing also to be a person who can be contented. That's a gift greater than a mansion made of diamonds, IMHO

Lynn said...

I live in a condo complex, too - like you, a two-bedroom. I wish I had a proper guest room and another bathroom for when guests visit, but that isn't that often really. Yes - lots to say about not having to do yard work, etc.

Granny Annie said...

Staying put. I love my home on ten acres and as quiet as the guinea fowl and chickens will allow. After being gone eight days, it is even better. Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.