By Jim Hagarty
2012
Apparently young people buying homes today often don’t want what their parents had. They don’t want big houses nor do they care for large lawns – they just want enough backyard for a patio and barbecue where they can entertain friends.
No useless rooms inside like a parlour or fancy dining room. Instead they would like a room for a big TV and space to play video games.
They don’t want a tub but do look for a large walk-in shower.
And they want to be within walking distance of shops and restaurants and schools so they are not dependent on cars.
A friend and I talked a bit about this sort of thing last week. He and his wife recently sold their beautiful country property and moved into a house in town. They’re loving the change. Their property was so big and filled with so many flower beds, he spent his days manicuring everything, as though he was the keeper of a large park.
In summer I drive in the country a lot and I often feel sorry for farm families who I see out caring for the large lawns surrounding their homes and outbuildings on beautiful Sunday afternoons. The one day of the week they normally could have off they spend bouncing around on a riding lawnmower keeping everything trim, even the roadside ditches at the front of their farms.
In the old days, farm lawns in this part of the world were not so grand. A very old picture of the farmhouse where my mother grew up shows just a small patch of grass surrounding the home, maybe only 20 feet or so. It seems as though farm lawns have grown bit by bit over the decades and now are rural parks as much as anything.
But who are they for?
Do those who care for them ever get to enjoy that space? And there are so few cars that drive some of those back roads, it’s a wonder a whole day doesn’t go by when no one but the farm family sees the park.
Maybe young homeowners are onto something. Like the expression goes, do I work to live or live to work? Do I own my home or does my home own me?
But no tub? Seriously? No shower I’ve ever been in no matter how roomy could ever ease the aches and pains and tension like a bathtub full of very hot water and bath oil to save the skin. And with the light off and a candle on the sink, the room can seem almost like your own special home away from home.
Showering in the dark just doesn’t have the same appeal, not that I have ever tried it.
