I’m only going to say this once… I hope
We were going to die there. That’s what we said every time we spent more money than we would ever recover on our place on 38 forested acres in West Virginia. Money on supplies as Parker completely redid the old farmhouse with too much to mention here, then built a three-bay garage (one is a workshop) with an 825 square foot apartment above it, three levels of deck overlooking the creek, and a small office with my beautiful view.
Except now we aren’t. Now we’re in Florida. I got the two things I asked for – a house that doesn’t need remodeling (although my brother says he would have to remodel it, but I’d rather have cupboards from the 80’s than construction dust, thank you), a private lake that I can see from my office – and Parker got what he wanted. Four acres, fenced and ready for animals, flat so he can take care of it with a tractor, not a weed whacker.
But I don’t love it. I tolerate it. When we drive up to West Virginia, keeping the place up until it sells, my heart knows the second I cross the West Virginia line. If I’m gone long enough, I forget. I forget the beauty, the bird calls, the changing seasons, the forest covered hills. I accept my new humid, flat Florida home. But then I remember.
Then I channel Meryl Streep speaking the opening lines in Out Of Africa, with a few word changes. I had a forest, in West Virginia.
I loved my forest walks with bird calls lilting through the trees. I still have forest. Kind of. And bird calls. The prehistoric “rack, rack, rack” of the sand cranes. The crow call.
I’ll show you what I left. And where I live now. The place I don’t see as beautiful. Yet Florida people, on visiting for the first time, always, always say, “You have a beautiful place.” And they mean the lot covered with mature oaks dripping spanish moss and the view of the lake.
The view I left. From my recliner. And the new view, from my aptly named Florida room.
I am so spoiled. I get it. But I left almost heaven for what, to me, feels like almost hell. It’s the heat and the humidity. The ten months of it rather than just the one bad one in West Virginia. The grey/green of the live oaks compared to the lush green of West Virginia trees, (followed by those bright, amazing falls. )
I promise. This is the one and only time. And if I complain again, you can remind me. So let me get it all out. I hate this place. I hate the constant heat and unrelenting humidity. I hate going out for my morning walk only to have my skin feel like it’s covered in slime the minute I open the door. I hate that I’m afraid to swim in my crystal clear spring fed lake (that is a constant 72 degrees F) for fear of alligators. I hate sitting in the Florida room covered in sweat looking at the lake I’m afraid to swim in.
I hate that I seem to have lost my capacity to choose happy when I’m here. So next entry. Choosing happy. Or a step down from that. The words given to me by God as I wept at what I was losing. “There will be compensations.” At least He didn’t try to convince me I would “grow to love it.’ Only those few words. “There will be compensations.” And there are.
A bit more of what we left, what we have now.
Parker’s old garden spot and his new one surrounded by the fence he built. Well, at least he is limited on how much squash he can plant! 
And the bird bath created by our chain-saw carving artist friend from one of the trees we removed just before the hurricane would have dropped it on the house. (And also to open up the place for the solar panels we installed to compensate for the free natural gas we left.)
Oh! and while I’m complaining and comparing let me gripe about hair. 
I love the sleek look, which I could manage in WV. But with 300 days of 100% humidity a year in Florida I caved and had it cut to “take advantage of” accept with despair my natural curl. This shot looks pretty good That’s because I haven’t stepped outside yet and had it fluffed up by Mother Nature and her humidity into what I like to call my Bozo the Clown look. Ok. Now I’m done. I promise. BTW I love my grey hair. Love it. Thanks ancestors for your great DNA.
You’re not dead yet.
@dolorangelicus True! That’s definitely a compensation lol 😃
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For some people, Florida is paradise. For others, it’s an oppressively humid, alligator ridden, place-I’d-like-to-visit-but-not-live.
Btw, you look like a 1950s movie star with curly hair. 😊
@lachlanne thanks
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oh West Virginia looks gorgeous. I’m not much a fan of the soul sucking heat and humidity of Florida either.
I also have grey hair that I love from my ancestors! I have this friend who has always inspired me with her beautifully curly salt and pepper hair, so I stopped coloring mine a few years ago and love the results. Im
still pretty “peppery”, but I love the silver color of my greys.
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I am one of those who loves Florida. The Florida I see daily is vibrant and lushly green. I love the warmth of Florida. I’m willing to trade the fuzzy hair for ice and snow. I am originally from New England. My husband is from old England. Neither of us ever wants to be cold again. Courses for horses…
@ipsofacto it’s true. I might like it more if I were on a coast with ocean breezes.
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You had a beautiful place in the woods, for sure! I am one who loves Florida to visit, but don’t think I could live there year-round – I like to have a change of seasons. I do like being near the ocean though, and for that Florida can’t be beat.
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I get it. I’ve lived here my entire life. Hell, I was born up in here!
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I commiserate. I, too, am a transplant to FL. And I hate it.
So far, my “compensations” have been not having to cope with the long, cold, grey western NY winters, not having to drive in ice and snow. But even that downplays make up for what I have up to come here.
That should read “doesn’t”, not “downplays” . Damn auto correct!
@gypsywynd I feel your autocorrect pain! I miss the seasons. Our Winters in our part of WV (near Charleston) were relatively short. Fall and spring each lasted 3 months. And I loved them.
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You are gorgeous! Both places are beautiful, though I’m also no fan of humidity. There must be a way to be sure your lake is safe to swim in. Row around the edges and poke a pole in every so often to flush out any alligators?
@bonnierose That’s what I’m thinking too. The banks are kept clear and they like to hide so I’m thinking they’ll stay away, but one ate the neighbor’s chihuahua so… But I’m a lot bigger than a chihuahua
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I would not swim in the lake for fear of alligators. I don’t think I could swim comfortably not knowing if one was going to pop up. Your home in West Virginia was/is just lovely. It’s so green! Oh my, you are so pretty and I love your gray hair and hair style too. I sometimes wish I could have curly hair, mine is as straight as can be.
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I’ve only been to Florida once, but I couldn’t stand it either. I’m sorry you are mourning your move.
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May I ask why did you have to move? I can definitely see why you’re missing WV. I could not deal with the humidity OR alligators…Among other things. That said, the place in Florida IS beautiful. And I hope that you can find little pieces to love and then hopefully that love will grow and you won’t be miserable where you’re at. BTW, your hair is gorgeous, in BOTH pictures. But again, it’s how you feel inside…
@foreverchanging thank you! Parker is almost 80 and his shoulders and knees are in bad shape. There are no young people in our area. The man who is doing our weed whacking now is 70!! And you can’t keep up the steep hillsides on either side of the driveway with a mower or with landscaping. There are sections that just have to be weed whacked. Also he can’t take the cold any more. And I love him (just not Florida. 😀)
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Your WV place does look lovely, but when I look at places now (like my own), I see past the beauty and start thinking about how much work it must be to keep up.
But I’m with you all the way on FL. Humidity, big bugs, gators, crazy people…ugh. If you find something nice about it, please share. 😂
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humidity is never kind to hair… looks nice either way though.
I find it quite sad that you are not living in a house you love….but I guess it can be a challenge to make it how you want it with the décor etc. hugs p
@gypsyspirit actually I believe in a way the move was a good thing in two ways. I completely stopped focusing on creating my “dream house” and have focused instead on my dream life – being of service and writing. I realized those two things are independent of the house. But I am a bit of a whiner. 😉
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I think you’re just beautiful…..I love the curls.
I understand what you’re saying…….someday “when we get old” we’ll have to move to a smaller place w/less upkeep. And I’ll hate it. I love my semi-wilderness.
@marieelena thank you. I hope your time to move is a long way off
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I love the view out of your Florida room, but I also love your vegetable garden. I am glad you are able to live the dream!
@altair thank you
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I hear you! I moved to FL in 1973 from Richmond, VA and my mother’s people were from Covington and the areas at the WVA line, Big Gap, etc.. It took me years to adapt. Now in 2018, I adore my swampy, humid, wild weather adopted home and still love my hometown, too…I refer to myself as being FLoridaGINEAN. Breathe in and breathe out I told myself and year by year I didn’t have to fake loving this land. Hope you adapt or find that sweet spot that will give you a feeling of being in the right place at the right time in your life.
@sago thank you. That gives me hope
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I’ve been in Florida four times in the past five years (Orlando, 2X Boynton Beach, Tampa), and each time I’ve been overwhelmed with this sense of peace and belonging. Maybe just the change of scenery. I hope you’ll develop that feeling also, but maybe each person has his or her own intrinsic resonating landscape.
@rivercity It’s true. Parker loves Florida. But he grew up in Southern California with palm trees, orange trees and sub-tropical landscape.
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