Photo from Mount Royal, Frisco, Colorado.

"That is happiness; to be disolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." - Willa Cather

Thursday 4 June 2009

Hvor man føler sig hjemme

I read recently that, as opposed to men, a large part of "happiness" for a woman is her home. At first I thought this was just another way I was unfeminine. But now that we are in our new apartment, I am starting to think I may have a woman hiding inside of me after all.

The problem is, I loathe the idea of buying some big, fancy house.

A simple life is a happy life. That reminds me of our cabin in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park last summer...


I just could never feel at home in a typical house for two doctors. I hate McMansions, and regular mansions and suburbs and expensive, matching furniture. I hate two cars and fancy foyers and the idea of shopping for "flatware". I hate commutes and no sidewalks and pefectly manicured lawns.

But the apartment we found is so simple, practical and comfortable, that I almost get excited by the thought of cleaning and decorating it. It is a two bedroom apartment just off the hospital property for about $550 (3,000 danish kroner)/month (subsidized physican housing). We walk to work, the store, the libary, etc. We run 100 meters to a forest filled with trails. It is perfect for a family of four (stepdaughter is moving here in just over a month!). Plus it is in a neighborhood with tons of families with young kids.

Here is the teeter-totter (called a vippe (or flipper) in Danish). I would make fun of the Danish word, but then when I consider the English word, well...


And the kitchen I cleaned for this photo (if you look closely, the sink is still dirty):




And a sunny second-floor porch:


There is even graffiti that says "Ace of Base" in our building's basement. Ony in Denmark (and perhaps Sweden).

Running Song of The Day: Skinny Love by Bon Iver

5 comments:

Olga said...

I am with ya, sista! Apartment that is small, cozy and comfy with amenities close by is my idea of home, where people live close to each other and communicate!

Danni said...

I'm with you 100% but the desire to have something greener and homier than a McMansion and more urban (or rural) is actually pretty bouge-ie. I'm glad you like your new apartment :-)

sea legs girl said...

mcd 137,

I have heard of Jerry Shields because of one of the books he has written. I imagine you'll get really good treatment. I hope you are better soon!

H said...

Power to ya. I want a bigger home. A place that has a office, each kid has their own bedroom (sharing was BAD for my siblings relationships), a room for workout equipment (weights and treadmill - a garage would do if it was just ours), and a room for DH and I...

Lisa said...

Ha, my husband and I battle this one all the time. We have a raised ranch, 2,000 sq ft, no basement. Perfect! Not good enough for my husband, who 'needs more space', even though it's just the two of us and his daughter merely visits. I love the no basement, it forces us to make decisions about stuff we probably would store but never use. I have caught him tucking a box of very old magazines in a corner of the downstairs. I challenged him about the mid-90's fly fishing mags and he claimed 'he might reference an article someday'. Those went right into the recycle bin. Yeah, right. I also think it's important to recycle your stuff to the salvation army or to friends. I am very organized, and I find a way to store things efficiently. It can be done!