Game On: My First Month of Homeownership

For now, the answer appears to be… yes

For 25 years, I was a renter. In many ways, I was scared to own a home. The possibility of massive, unexpected bills when something breaks was tough for me to swallow. The countless stories I’d hear about flooded basements, leaky roofs, and expensive appliance repairs were enough for me every year at lease renewal to say, “Let’s just stay where we are.

One month in, I have done a 180. I fully understand that something can go wrong tomorrow and cost us thousands of dollars. Perhaps this is the “honeymoon” phase of homeownership, like when you have a baby and those first two weeks go perfectly, and you look at your partner and say, “This is easy, what is everyone complaining about?” because they are sleeping 20 out of the 24 hours of the day. Hell, we haven’t made a mortgage payment yet.  

Unpacking and completing the essentials quickly has allowed us to work on some of the more enjoyable projects around the house. The ping pong table gets used nightly, as does the dartboard you see above. I’ve successfully grilled my first steaks. I’ve also added a keyboard upstairs, which has been a hit for adults and kids alike as we all attempt to learn to play the piano.

Speaking of that dartboard, it has its own story. My Dad made it for me, my Mom painted the Murphy’s Irish Stout logo on it, and they gave it to me for Christmas in 2000. I remember very clearly when my Dad helped me hang the dartboard when I lived in Sunnyside. Last week, I prepared my anchor screws for this task and began drilling. And drilling. And drilling. Turns out my concrete drill bit wasn’t long enough to use an anchor screw, unfortunately. Luckily, since I’ve knocked the rust off my handiness this past month, I was able to pivot to concrete anchors and screws and get this working. I think my Dad would be proud of me. Regardless, seeing it daily is a lovely little reminder of him, and I’ve been playing a little game of “hit a bullseye before you go to bed” each night.

Even the more mundane maintenance tasks of home-ownership have been entertaining (so far) for me. I spent the better part of a Saturday using my new hedge trimmers, weed-wacking, mowing, and cutting down branches that were on or close to our house. Literally climbed the tree in the front yard for that last one (the neighbors must think I’m nuts). Tiring work for sure, but oddly.. therapeutic? I got to listen to great tunes throughout, all while getting in some exercise, direct sunlight, and upon completion, some accolades and thanks from our new neighbors, all of whom have been so welcoming to us.

Knowing my limits (and worried about a disaster if it was hung incorrectly), I got our TV hung by a handyman today, but I was able to troubleshoot the “no sound coming from the TV” problem immediately, so I still feel part of that experience as well. And in case this comes up on trivia night for you, the answer to the question “What did Murph play first on his TV after the sound was fixed?”, the answer is “Star Wars – A New Hope” – a scene later in the movie with a full-on blaster fight and the goosebump-inducing Star Wars Theme song.

Other things learned this month:

• My 83-year-old Father-in-Law is surprisingly good at ping pong, and we’ve had some great chess matches, too.

• Electricity bills for a house are REAL.

Next projects up:

• Assemble the new street hockey net so we can play on our dead-end street. Man, Zack tee’d me up perfectly here, asking me, “What do we do when cars come by, Daddy?” Anyone who’s seen Wayne’s World knows how I responded. “Well, son, someone yells ‘CAR!’, moves the net over, and everyone moves to the side to wait until the car passes. After that, someone yells, “Game on!”

• Solar Panels to take care of our planet and combat that crazy electricity bill  

• Properly setting up the Google doorbell and outdoor Nest cams

Got any fun house projects you’ve done or are planning?