Our beautiful house is on the market at last. It took me well over a year to sort and organize before releasing it into the world to be enjoyed by new occupants. Almost eighteen years in a place is a long time.
At first the house was filled with our growing family: three of our five kids, my mother, and, for a while, our oldest daughter, her husband and their new baby. Then we let rooms to new faculty, especially from the English department, grad students, and younger students, too, to mothers with young children, and many friends, older and younger.
For four years the house was full of Servas, Warm Showers, and Airbnb visitors from all over the world. I just took down the map because the hundreds of map pins were crowding each other put and falling onto the floor.
Because we had the space to do it, we hosted hundreds of community dinners, house concerts, book groups, women’s circles, poetry readings and book signings, political meetings, trunk shows, workshops, cooking classes, and celebrations of all kinds.
Just last year, we hosted a series of neighborhood potlucks that involved knocking on on 250 doors and hand-delivering invitations.
Letting go, then, is more than selling the house. It’s a lifestyle change. We’re looking a houses a third the size of this one!
Nonetheless, I’ll still be me and Tom will still be Tom. Monday night dinners will continue, the first Friday salon will continue. I’ll have less cleaning to do, and more time for writing. We’ll take what we really need and love with us, and pass the the rest on.
Here’s what we’ll leave behind. May it serve its next owners as well as it has served us.
(If you’re interested in buying our place, it’s listed here.)
Eve Neuhaus 
Beautiful Eve, simply beautiful. Sometimes it’s surprising in making a change there’s even a greater life with even more blessings.
With love,
Kathryn Rossi
I can’t wait to see where we end up! Up to now we’ve just been looking at smaller places across town, but now we’re also reconsidering Tierra Nueva, which has long tempted me.
Where is Tierra Nueva?
It’s the cohousing community in Oceano.
Eve says I’ll still be Tom… Hmm… And I was just thinking of changing to Bill or Fred!
But would you still be you underneath?
Lots of good luck, good health and good EVERYTHING in your new home. Keep me in the loop. Love, Lynne
[…] didn’t move. Tom and I are still living in the same house, and working at the same business, Mama Ganache. The […]
Hi Eve,
Greetings this fine Autumn…
Are you still in the house? I know that you were going to sell it then I thought I saw that you decided to keep it. Al and I a re on our way to Los Angeles to celebrate my father’s 95th Birthday next week. Will you be around on Tuesday, November 1st in the evening? Is a room available? What is rental fee?
We would love to see you, catch up and get back on the road after breakfast on Wednesday.
Best to Tom… we have been so busy this year but finally have found a bit of time to travel because I can work from the road.
Blessings, Donna and Al Ashland, Oregon 541 5three1-5three59 (the number after 2 is missing from my keyboard!)
[…] I consider the lessons of our divestment over the past several years, the house on McCollum Street, the house on Park Street, Mama Ganache, a lifetime of acquisitions – I find I always […]