All the Necessary ObjectsAll the Necessary Objects…… My phone pinged announcing a text from Mariel. It contained two pictures: the first one showing her lounging on a couch, the second a shot of her standing near a dresser and a bureau. The text read, “We have furniture!” I smiled. Mariel is working for Exxon and living in Houston with her fiancé, Dan. Mariel had moved out west in January leaving Dan job hunting in Connecticut. Happily in February he got a job offer and was able to join his intended. They had been living apart for years so the fact that they were finally together in the same apartment at the same time was cause for celebration. They had had some furniture shipped out and Mariel bought a few things when she moved in, but she was waiting until they were together to do any serious furnishing. She’s like her father in that respect--she’s happy with a futon and a couple of crates and shops for furniture only under extreme duress. Dan, on the other hand, enjoys furniture shopping and was very excited about decorating their new home. So excited that he landed in Houston on a Friday and by Sunday they had a couch, a bureau and a dresser. He’s been there for a couple of weeks now so I’m sure he’s shopped for the neighbors as well! But to be fair, this is the first place that they have shared that is really a nice place to live. I’ve seen pictures and I’m amazed. They have grown up appliances, even a washer/dryer in the kitchen, Corian countertops, carpeting and air conditioning. For them this is Valhalla with some Taj Mahal thrown in. But to know that you had to have seen some of their former residences, and I use the term loosely. The last apartment that they rented was when they were both at UMass Amherst. They actually inherited the place from a friend, who had, in fact, fixed it up. I can’t even imagine what it must have looked like before the fix-up. I still remember the first time we visited. They had worked so hard to clean and prepare. From the outside it looked promising—it was one of three apartments in a large house. There was grass on all sides and trees. One of their neighbors had planted flowers. And even the moment we stepped in was fine. But somehow the longer we stayed the more we realized that the place wasn’t anywhere close to fine. The kitchen had a stove and an oven that were fire hazards and a refrigerator that could hold a carton of milk and maybe some eggs. The bedroom was damp and dark, the living room had a couch that was mostly for looking at and not for sitting on. When Mariel mentioned that they used it for overnight guests I knew that I wouldn’t be staying there anytime soon. But it was the bathroom that topped it all off. It was so tiny that there was barely room to close the door, which wasn’t really a problem since it was warped and couldn’t close all the way anyway. Dan had rigged up a fan attached to the light so there was some ventilation. I couldn’t figure out how they fit into the shower—it seemed like the bar of soap took up most of the room. Whenever I had to use the “facilities” I said a little prayer and held my breath so that I wouldn’t take up any extra space. We took Snoopy up there once and he added to the splendor of the place by throwing up in the kitchen. We never could figure out if he was sick or it was a comment. Dan and Mariel tried so hard to fix it up and keep it clean, but there really wasn’t much that they could do. After they left their landlord managed to find one more tenant but when he left the Board of Health stepped in. When Mariel lived in Tucson, she lived in an apartment with a friend that shared many of the same qualities of her former place. It was a little nicer with a bit more character but it basically cried out, student space! Luckily during her last summer there she worked as a dog/ house sitter in a lovely villa. Seeing pictures of Mariel and Dan’s beautiful new apartment almost made me cry. They deserve it. It’s so sweet hearing her excitement at having her own washer and dryer in the kitchen. I felt exactly the same way when Steve and I moved to our Braintree condo. The condo was really great but owning my very own washing/dryer that I didn’t have to take an elevator to get to or scrounge quarters for, was absolutely breathtaking. Lisa also had her apartment horrors. She has lived in apartments with bathrooms that should have been condemned, with anti-semitic roommates, with another roommate who owned a tiny dog that used the entire place as her personal toilet. So knowing that she and Matt also live in a comfortable place is comforting. But perhaps the best text that Mariel sent me was a picture of a coffee maker sitting on her kitchen counter next to a bag of Starbucks coffee that read, “”It’s ok mom. We now have all the necessary objects for your visit.” Houston here I come.

All the Necessary Objects…… My phone pinged announcing a text from Mariel. It contained two pictures: the first one showing her lounging on a couch, the second a shot of her standing near a dresser and a bureau. The text read, “We have furniture!” I smiled. Mariel is working for Exxon and living in Houston with her fiancé, Dan. Mariel had moved out west in January leaving Dan job hunting in Connecticut. Happily in February he got a job offer and was able to join his intended. They had been living apart for years so the fact that they were finally together in the same apartment at the same time was cause for celebration. They had had some furniture shipped out and Mariel bought a few things when she moved in, but she was waiting until they were together to do any serious furnishing. She’s like her father in that respect--she’s happy with a futon and a couple of crates and shops for furniture only under extreme duress. Dan, on the other hand, enjoys furniture shopping and was very excited about decorating their new home. So excited that he landed in Houston on a Friday and by Sunday they had a couch, a bureau and a dresser. He’s been there for a couple of weeks now so I’m sure he’s shopped for the neighbors as well! But to be fair, this is the first place that they have shared that is really a nice place to live. I’ve seen pictures and I’m amazed. They have grown up appliances, even a washer/dryer in the kitchen, Corian countertops, carpeting and air conditioning. For them this is Valhalla with some Taj Mahal thrown in. But to know that you had to have seen some of their former residences, and I use the term loosely. The last apartment that they rented was when they were both at UMass Amherst. They actually inherited the place from a friend, who had, in fact, fixed it up. I can’t even imagine what it must have looked like before the fix-up. I still remember the first time we visited. They had worked so hard to clean and prepare. From the outside it looked promising—it was one of three apartments in a large house. There was grass on all sides and trees. One of their neighbors had planted flowers. And even the moment we stepped in was fine. But somehow the longer we stayed the more we realized that the place wasn’t anywhere close to fine. The kitchen had a stove and an oven that were fire hazards and a refrigerator that could hold a carton of milk and maybe some eggs. The bedroom was damp and dark, the living room had a couch that was mostly for looking at and not for sitting on. When Mariel mentioned that they used it for overnight guests I knew that I wouldn’t be staying there anytime soon. But it was the bathroom that topped it all off. It was so tiny that there was barely room to close the door, which wasn’t really a problem since it was warped and couldn’t close all the way anyway. Dan had rigged up a fan attached to the light so there was some ventilation. I couldn’t figure out how they fit into the shower—it seemed like the bar of soap took up most of the room. Whenever I had to use the “facilities” I said a little prayer and held my breath so that I wouldn’t take up any extra space. We took Snoopy up there once and he added to the splendor of the place by throwing up in the kitchen. We never could figure out if he was sick or it was a comment. Dan and Mariel tried so hard to fix it up and keep it clean, but there really wasn’t much that they could do. After they left their landlord managed to find one more tenant but when he left the Board of Health stepped in. When Mariel lived in Tucson, she lived in an apartment with a friend that shared many of the same qualities of her former place. It was a little nicer with a bit more character but it basically cried out, student space! Luckily during her last summer there she worked as a dog/ house sitter in a lovely villa. Seeing pictures of Mariel and Dan’s beautiful new apartment almost made me cry. They deserve it. It’s so sweet hearing her excitement at having her own washer and dryer in the kitchen. I felt exactly the same way when Steve and I moved to our Braintree condo. The condo was really great but owning my very own washing/dryer that I didn’t have to take an elevator to get to or scrounge quarters for, was absolutely breathtaking. Lisa also had her apartment horrors. She has lived in apartments with bathrooms that should have been condemned, with anti-semitic roommates, with another roommate who owned a tiny dog that used the entire place as her personal toilet. So knowing that she and Matt also live in a comfortable place is comforting. But perhaps the best text that Mariel sent me was a picture of a coffee maker sitting on her kitchen counter next to a bag of Starbucks coffee that read, “”It’s ok mom. We now have all the necessary objects for your visit.” Houston here I come.