Selling our house and saying ‘so long’
You may have wondered over the past few years why I’ve written so much about decluttering, cleaning out our house and divesting myself of many worldly goods (but not nearly enough). Well, the cat is out of the bag now that I have announced my retirement from television news and on-air meteorology after 37 years. More on that to come next time, but for now I have to tell you that a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders: We sold our house.
Many of you know me, know where I lived and knew my parents who built that house in Washington – and lived there until they both passed way too early. I loved that house and lived there from the day I was born until I left for college, returned home for a year after college while I commuted to my first job in Steubenville, Ohio, and returned home again 13 years ago when I got my TV job in Pittsburgh.
In the years in between, I often traveled home to visit Mom and Dad, and there was never a second that place didn’t still feel like my absolute home. Dad helped build that house and added onto it during several of his projects in retirement.
I love to think back on all of the evenings we spent sitting on the porch as a kid listening to the loudspeaker at nearby Wash High football field during Friday night games and hearing the band play in the distance. We also loved to grill dinner, eat on the porch, then watch Pirates games there when Bob Prince and, later, Lannie Frattere were on the broadcasts.
Mom’s passion was interior decorating, and I loved how she changed décor through the decades from ’60s mod chic to early American to what I like to call ’80s/’90s country clutter (just before rustic farmhouse came into vogue).
We’ve spent several years preparing for retirement and that meant organizing and cleaning out the house. Even though I thought I had downsized all I could, we’re left with more than I thought. Hopefully it will all fit in the new digs. If not, it’s going to charity!
Selling the house means saying “so long” to so much: memories, treasured belongings, cherished moments from my childhood spent in every room. It was a lot of work, and I managed to stave off being sad until going through photo albums. I finally broke down and cried for about 30 seconds during our final hours there. It was just enough to mourn what is no more, be thankful for the loving memories and be grateful for what still lies ahead.
The closing went smoothly, and I am confident the new owners will love the house as much as my family did and take wonderful care of it. I may drive by occasionally to take a peek, but now it’s on to the next chapter!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.