FAQ: Where do you live?

I have no idea why people ask me so many questions about my house, except that I continue to live in it and drive over an hour each way to work, even with gas prices being what they are. I mean, I haven't been featured in House Beautiful or anything. But, for all of you who are curious, here is my House FAQ: (and yes, people really do ask me this stuff. Like Dave Barry says, "I am not making this up!"

Where do you live?

I live in a rehabbed turn-of-the-century school house way out in the country in east-central Illinois. My street address consists of a bunch of numbers and directions. The nearest town is about 10 miles away. I can walk to Indiana.

Why the hell do you live there?

I live there because I like it. I like it because:

• It is quiet and peaceful.
• It is too far from any town to attract criminals.
• I can see zillions of stars at night.
• I have wildlife in my yard--frogs, bats, deer, squirrels, possums, moles, voles, groundhogs, and varieties of birds and butterflies I never knew existed.
• I have a bigger house for less money.
• My property taxes are about 1/4 of what they were in Cook County, for a smaller house on a smaller lot.
• I love the history of the house. I have met people who went to school here 50 years ago, when it was still a one-room school house.
• I can see the horizon from my driveway.
• I love driving to work through farm fields full of colorful plants, and seeing the land stretch away from me to the horizon. In some places, the scenery is so beautiful it takes my breath away.
• The air is so fresh and clean.
• I can go outside naked at night to hang up the towels from my shower.
• I have a front porch that you can sit out on in the summer.
• I feel like this house and the area where I live suit me better than any place else I have ever lived.

Don't you mind the drive?

Yes, I mind the drive very much. It's an easy drive, all country roads and interstate driving. But it is looooooong! An hour to 90 minutes each direction. I like driving to work, because I can see things. I also conduct a lot of boring business on my cell phone, and call my mom and fiends. I hate the drive home, when I aim already tired and just want the day to be over.

I entertain myself on the drive home by listening to books on tape, calling in posts to my Snapvine, and listening to the radio. It's still a long boring ride home. But, I figure, I like my house, and I like my job, and the drive is really a small part of my day. I can't win them all.

What is your house like?

It is a former one-room school house, built in 1900, which was rehabbed about 10 years ago into a 5-bedroom farm house. It lets in a lot of sunshine, even in the upstairs bedrooms. We look out over a farm field from both the front and the back of the house. I decorate for comfort and practicality, so the house is cozy and low-maintenance. No all-white living rooms for me!

How much land do you have?

Just less than an acre. I have a big garden, flower beds, a play area for my kiddo, and a large open space, big enough to fly a kite. There are benches and picnic areas under the trees, and a pool. We spend almost all day outside in the summer. Next summer's project will be a pond.


So there you have it. I have no idea why people want to know about my house, but I get asked about it a lot. I think I was asked about it two or 3 times just tonight.