Wednesday, May 8, 2013

And Then Came the Renovation. Yet, the Memories Survived.

I live close to where my grandpa used to live when he was alive. On Sunday, I was near his old neighborhood, so I decided I would take a trip down memory lane and do a drive by looking. Yippee! A truck load of memories happened at that precious house; it would be nice to see it again. I miss my grandpa so very, very much. He passed away when I was probably 11 or 12 years old, so it's been a while since I've seen him.

So, my little drive by looking took a turn for the worse. No, I didn't get in a car accident or have one or all (that would have been worse) of my tires go flat. I didn't hit a mailbox or a dear hit me; yes, hit me... refer to an episode of Gilmore Girls. My red Toyota tread its way down the steep decline to his house. Yes, his house.

And.

I didn't recognize it at all. Seriously, it had been defaced by the renovating mobsters of its new owners. Didn't they know it was my grandfathers and there were memories associated with its facade? Apparently not.

*stomps foot*

This got me thinking: Does someone (me) really have ownership to something that is no longer hers (well, my grandpas)? In this case, I emphatically say no while pouting with disappointment.

I'm being totally melodramatic, I know. It was disappointing, though.

But now that I'm writing this post, blabbing on and on, the fact is the memories are still there--in my mind, in my heart, in my precious past. I can still visualize the large patio overlooking Salt Lake City Valley where we would watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. I can still smell the musky, soapy sweet aroma permeating the interior of his home. I still remember sneaking Kraft cheese slices from his old school brown fridge. Games of UNO while a bunch of us sat around his large, oval dining room table. And the weeks on end I spent sleeping over at his house during the summer. Finally, the evening I visited him as he laid still with haggard breaths in his bed--the night he passed away, the night I said I love you to him for the last time in this life.

That's all that matters even when things have changed and time has sped forward. I still love my grandfather more than I could possibly communicate via the written word. And I can still reflect with fondness on the amazing times I had with him. His house, okay the new owners' house's appearance doesn't change anything. It is just a house, not the invaluable memories planted in my mind forever.

Anyway, thanks for reading my ranting.

Have you ever had an experience similar to mine? Have you seen the Gilmore Girls episode I made reference to?

Writing Jewels

PS: I have decided never, ever to renovate a house. Why? Because one day some poor girl will do a drive by looking, and her heart will be dashed to pieces because the house doesn't look the same anymore. And that's all I have to say about that with a little bit of sarcasm added in the mix. :D

20 comments:

  1. Yes, I've seen that Gilmore Girls episode. (and almost all the others)

    The comment I have on the renovations is that they have to make the house to their needs so they can make memories for their grandkids. It's not that they tried to ruin yours. They can't, the memories live on in you, even though it is a shock to see that physically the spots are gone. We have our memories, now lets make some for the next generation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know exactly how you feel. My childhood home of literally 30 years of my life where my parents lived and I lived and grew up in got demolished by a bulldozer to put up a Wal-Greens. It was painful. The only thing left are pictures, because a walk-in cooler now stands where my bedroom was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Epic sadness. Now that majorly sucks! Sorry, buddy.

      Delete
  3. Yep, seen that episode :)

    And that must have been hard. I've never had that happen to me. My sister still lives in the same neighborhood where we grew up, so I look at my childhood house often- and so far, it's exactly the same. Even has the same swingset, which is very outdated.

    Those memories sound amazing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, that is great even down to the swingset. :) And the momories were amazing.

      Delete
  4. The memories are more important.
    I've seen two of the houses I lived in as a kid, briefly of course as we moved around a bit, and there were changes. At least I think there were, as I didn't remember either very well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Seen a few I lived in to, not up to snuff any more, and never seen a gilmore girls episode lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I won't hold it against you for not seeing any Gilmore Girls episodes. haha

      Delete
  6. I remember visiting my grandparent's house in Salem a few years ago. Ugh, the people that live there have totally trashed the place. But, it made me secretly quite happy to hear they had a rather difficult time getting the ugly velvet flocked wallpaper off of the hallway. I thought, "That's what you get for trashing the house!"

    ReplyDelete
  7. The house we lived in when my dad was so sick, when he died, where we lived through all of middle school and high school and much of my undergrad years, got torn down in favor of an entirely new house. Yeah, not so fun to drive by and see that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was back to the old neighbourhood, where I grew up, some years ago. My parents home was gone, replaced by a monster. In fact that had happened to quite a few houses on our old block. I wasn't sure where I was any more. The next door neighbour's house was the same as ours, though different colour brick. That became my anchor. The rests of it — well, whatever. Sadly.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting
    Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)

    ReplyDelete
  9. My dad had the same experience when he travelled back to his childhood farm.it broke his heart to see all the broken down rusted out trucks scattered in the fields, and pretty much everything the built was ripped down. I think he wished he'd not gone back after all.

    ReplyDelete
  10. My parents are trying to sell my childhood home right now. I'll be sad when they do.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  11. ӏ'm a writer from Fiorenzuola D'аrԁa, Italia
    just ѕent this onto a colleаgue who iѕ cοnducting а lіttle гeѕearch on thіѕ.
    And she actually bought me lunch simplу bеcause I stumbled
    upon it for her... lol. So аllοω me to paraphraѕe
    this.... Thanks for the fooԁ... But anуhow, thanх for tаking ѕome time to talk about thіs matteг
    herе on уοur blοg.

    Here іѕ mу рage; 62800

    ReplyDelete
  12. http://www.djkirk.net/1/post/2013/04/returning-to-the-scene-of-the-crime.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi there! I love your blog and nominated you for an award! :) Check it out... http://modernhippiemomma.blogspot.com/2013/05/very-inspiring-blogger-award.html

    Following you now! :)
    <3 Amanda*

    ReplyDelete