It’s been a busy weekend, and this is just a note to say if I owe you an email, please hang on a bit. This vacation stuff is great, but I’m not getting anything done. Oh, but I’m having fun. And more fun is in store—my own Em will be here soon, and then NEITHER of us will be blogging much.
Oh, and woot! My offer on the condo of my dreams was really accepted! We open escrow tomorrow morning (Monday). I’m trying to remember that escrows fall through ALL the time (it just doesn’t seem right to pluralize that word: escrows. Huh). I’m trying not to get too excited until (if and when) the key is in my hot and sweaty nervous hand. But I’m letting myself dream a leetle bit more now. I was at a party last night eyeing their paint job….
I’ll just quickly give you one snippet of my weekend: Last night, I was sitting in the living room of a hundred-year old house realizing again that everything comes full circle. I have been in living rooms where music is being played a million times. Okay, almost a million. I was raised in the living room hearing Dad sing “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and thinking vaguely that it was a little strange—it wasn’t what the other kids were doing. We didn’t have cable. We read. We made things. We hung out with the grown-ups while they sang. And last night, I sat next to Lala at this house-warming party. She had her banjo, Alice had her guitar, and Jerry knew almost every verse of every standard folk song and played great guitar and harmonica. There were eight of us, and we must have sat around singing and jamming for a good two hours at least, jumping in with any words and harmony we could remember for Joni/Bob/Joan/Lucinda/Dolly/Alison songs. This was after the party had moved in from outside, leaving the belly-dancing rug out in the cold. It felt right. Y’know?
Hey, this Mary Gauthier album is insanely wonderful. Go have a listen. Mwah!
My fingers are crossed that escrow goes through. Enjoy your vacation.
yay for offers being accepted! fingers crossed that everything works out.
also, i love how happy happy you’ve been sounding lately. it warms my sad little heart. xxoxo
What wonderful news to read upon my triumphant return to blogland! Fingers tightly crossed, sweetie. How I wish I was tagging along with Em.
MWAH!
Oh, you made me cry. I don’t quite know why, but I grew up singing “You ain’t Goin Nowhere” by the fire at my cottage, and suddenly I missed that so intensely, even though I do manage to go home a few times a year for nights like that. But there’s something so special about enjoying those moments with others, that’s hard to describe.
I hope your offer works out!
Oh, that sounds like a lovely party! I won’t say congratulations on the condo yet (it’s probably bad luck or something), but you have a right to be excited!
That brought back a lot of memories. My sisters and I used to turn on our mom’s record player and sing, sing, sing.
Thanks!
Squee!!
That is all.
Yes, escrow falls through, but escrow also doesn’t fall through a lot. Yay, being a homeowner!!!
Congratulations!!! Happy times!
I do so hope it works out.
fingers are crossed here in Maine too!
Well hey! Sending you good condo karma.
I’m a big fan of living room singing. My biggest complaint about going to Steve’s shows is that things almost never sound quite as magical as when he’s rehearsing at home the night before. Bad sounds guys abound, there’s chattering and noises, and the acoustics are just so different in a huge room. Though the whole other people being there thing is nice and all. Sometimes I just wonder why we don’t have a show in our living room. Maybe we’ll get around to it one of these days. But then again, part of what I like about my living room singing is being the only audience member.
good luck Rachael!!! hope you are painting in no time
good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !! good luck !!
Rachel, I am so excited for you! I was watching ‘Location, Location, Location’ on the BBC this morning and the girl was buying her first condo on a limited budget in London and she got it! I have never seen anyone actually have their offer accepted on that show and I was really excited and now I know that it was a good luck sign for you! Happy Escrow Day!
OMG YAY!!!!!!
Rachael is my hero! Fingers crossed and we’ll all look away so as not to call attention…YEAH!
Good luck on the condo, Rachael!! And get crackin’ on that book! 😉
good luck on the escrow — such a funny word
I knew it! I knew it! Wow! This is so exciting I might even run out of exclamation points! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
And living room singing… major part of my childhood. Ours was a little more James Taylor, Paul Simon, Beatles, Bonnie Raitt and more. And my dad plays banjo. I have so many memories of my dad, his brothers and sister Helen sitting around singing and jamming together. When Pop built the new house they included a whole room just for music. Gosh, I miss that!
Having had a “property fall out of escrow” in the past I just happen to know the proper phrase! 😉 Either way, we know what ya mean. Congrats and a happy dance!
so even though I’m supposed to be learning about criminal law right now, instead i’m doing a little happy dance for you surreptitiously in my seat. good luck!
I loved your description of singing in the living room. That is a memory I wish that I could give my children. We have a piano but no one in the house knows how to play. One of my earliest musical memories was learning “Hello, Dolly” in kindergarten during free time. That is where my love of show tunes began!