At the corner of Indiana and Emery, in Salt Lake City, stands lil beans Compound. lil beans received her name from Joe, who cleverly calls me lil bean, and I added in the "Compound" because there are five buildings on this property all of course, lil bean size.
lil beans Compound is 117 years old, built the same year that Utah became a state. It's small, it's quirky, it has some old parts, some renovations, and is where I will call home for many years to come. This week is special to me for two reasons: it's our one month anniversary since Joe and I have been married, and it's the one year anniversary that lil beans Compound became my own.
Now that I have done what I believe to be the three major stressors in a person's life: Master's, marriage, and first-time home-buying, first-time home buying takes the cake as the most stressed out I've ever been in my whole life. And for those who know me, I stress a lot, and have kidney stones passing at regular intervals to prove it. I had a great experience with my realtor, it was just the wait, the dude selling the house, his realtor, the mortgage company, all the nonsense that told me that this home is it...forever! I even told Joe that I want to be buried in the back yard or in the basement that few know we have. He says when I stop saying that line with such conviction, he will know we can discuss moving.
I imagine sometimes of the family who lived here in 1896. Did they utilize the rooms the same way I did? Was it a family? How many kids did they have? I have taken what is known as the "birthing room" (a room dedicated to childbirth and sick family members) and turned in into a closet. I keep that door closed at all times. In my creative mind, I've imagined a woman "ghost" that lives in there and this house used to be hers. She's keeping an eye on the place, sort of speak, and approves. (The above part is where Joe said I'm losing my mind. So I tested it out on some of his friends. They said that they think there are good ghosts that live in old houses too, which is why I'm not deleting this part from my submission because if you think I'm crazy, then I'll drag his friends along with me).
lil beans Compound has not been all unicorns and fairy dust, however. We've had two leaks into the basement and as Joe would call it, "The Great Flood of 2013" when the pipes in his "man den" burst due to cold weather. We have lost tons of our trees this summer, and every morning, I go outside to see what is on the ground. We've also had some real characters do real crazy things in front of our house including, but not limited to: collapsing and getting run over, bleeding in my flower bed from being run over, she-male prostitutes walking by every night in a loin cloth at 12:30 a.m., and landlord wrestling with her sister tenant. Many people would say, "why would you live here then?" I am not terrified living here as I was towards the end of living in my Bountiful townhouse. And in some way, I feel like I'm free here...Davis County just did not work out for me. I love the diversity, being so close to downtown, doing yard work, living across from a beautiful park, paying less than I did renting, Minnie...I love it all.
So Happy Birthday, lil beans Compound! You don't look a day over 117!
This is the second time in a year that lil beans has been completely redecorated. She's been so good to me, I think she deserves a new outfit or two every now and again. Enjoy!
Outside/Flowers
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Joe's "Man Den." I don't have a key.  |
Yellow Bedroom/Teal Bedroom
Bathrooms/Closet
Kitchen/Joe standing in kitchen (haha)
Family Room (my biggest challenge)
Some of the trees we lost this summer due to microbursts.
My favorite neighbor, is "Minnie." Minnie's real name is Lilly. Minnie/Lilly is actualyl a male dog! His/her owner, Thanh, pronounced Tawn, lives across the street from us and went to Vietnam this past year for three months, in which I established a relationship with Minnie. Every morning, Minnie sits by the fence as I leave for school, and like clockwork, she goes back to the fence around 3 p.m. and sits there until I get home. She responds more to Minnie than Lilly now, but Thanh says it's ok. He/she is the best dog and I look forward to seeing her every day! Thanh has twelve fruit trees and a beautiful vegetable garden. She told us that it is all ours, since she just likes to watch it grow, and we are nice to her. Every Monday, we go over and pick, pick, pick. I am so thankful for Minnie and Thanh! Minnie is my last picture.
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| She's right behind the blue dish looking right at me. |
