Houseguests

Kerri and Allen's visit has been really great. It's nice having other people around the house to spend time with. Last night, on a whim, Allen and I went out and got two dozen crabs from a place literally right around the corner from us (we can walk there, which is excellent for us and dangerous for our wallets.) Plus Kerri got a Mojito recipe from the waitress at Miss Shirley's when we'd been there the day before for brunch. She whipped up a batch, we set up a table in the backyard, sipped our beverages and had a feast while the kids ran around in the neighbor's scrubby yard looking for worms and bugs. The weather was perfect, the company was top choice...it was a great evening.

The value* of having a place of your own can be measured by how much you can share it with other people. I think that's what makes a house a home. Having company and houseguests adds a layer of warmth and memories to a house that wouldn't otherwise exist. Stated more esoterically, reality is based on each person's perception of it. The more your home exists in the minds and memories of other people the stronger a claim on existence your home has. It's stake in the realm of human experience gets larger each time it's shared with other people, and that, in a weird way, validates its existence.

That's probably all mumbo jumbo. But one thing's certain. We had a great time with Kate's whole family this weekend, and we hope to see Kate's parents, Kerri, Allen and the kids again sooner rather than later.


*Emotional value...it would be great if Kerri, Allen and Kate's parent's time here added to our resale value, but unless it's Brad and Angelina that visits you, or a magical leprachaun, I think that's unlikely.