“You’re given a plot of land and have the financial resources to do what you please. What’s the plan?“

It didn’t specify how big a ‘plot’ I was given, so I’m going to take the creative license to say that it’s at least ½ acre to an acre.

I would want to build my own home. Nothing overly large or fancy. Ok… maybe a huge kitchen with tons of counter space… But other than that I’m pretty minimalist.

I would want a bedroom big enough for my futon, the one I will be bringing back down to Florida once I move in with Monica. It’s not a cheapy thing from Walmart or Target. It is meant to function as a bed, so the mattress is thicker. It’s made from actual wood, and is a pretty nice piece of furniture, both from a functional and esthetic stand point.

I would like having a night stand to keep the books I am reading, though I am moving more towards audio books now. A place to set my water and cross stitch once I am done working on it for the night.

Maybe a bookcase, though since I recently donated all of my books I’m not sure if I would really want / need one.

I feel like I would want it out of habit and familiarity. I have always had a bookcase, and most likely would feel incomplete without one.

I would want a place for my computer as well. Maybe an office area separate from my room, or an alcove type area. Something similar to the setup I have right now. Since my closet is so big, and I have so little in it, I have my computer desk in there. It’s a distinctly different area, so it has more of a ‘work’ feel for me.

I would want a shower stall rather than a bath / shower combo. I don’t think I’ve ever lived anywhere were we had one, but I’ve loved all of the ones I have been in. There’s so much more space. I think I would enjoy having one of my own.

Double sinks in the kitchen. A nice dishwasher. Maybe an island in the middle where I could cut up everything that I needed for the meals I cook. A nice fridge / freeze combo, too. Though I don’t normally ‘stock’ up on anything. I buy food on a weekly basis.

It would be nice to have the space to store meat though. Since I have to share such a small space with Susan and Joshua I don’t normally buy meat unless I plan on cooking it that evening. I’m not able to take advantage of deals or bulk buying because I don’t have the space to. Having my own freezer, heck, my own place in general, would be really nice.

The dinning room would have my kitchen table, which would always have a puzzle on it. Much like when I lived on my own at my first apartment. I didn’t work on it every day, but when I wanted to I could stop, sit for a while, and piece by piece it would come together.

When friends would visit they would be impressed and fascinated. We would sit and work on them together as we talked. It wasn’t sitting in front of a screen and watching a movie or playing games. It was actual interaction. And it is something that I enjoy sharing with others.

It is much like the bookcase. It is familiar and part of who I am. I think I would feel incomplete without a puzzle on my table. Or some other project to work on.

I like having a living room, though I don’t really use them. I don’t have a TV nor do I want one. I don’t have tons of game systems, and as my life has progressed I want them less and less. For me it is a mark of success though.

It might seem odd, but it’s the first thing you see when you enter a person’s home. There should be a couch, maybe a love seat depending on the spacing and size of the room. Normally there is artwork or pictures. Lamps on side tables.

You get a feel for a person and what is important to them from that first room. It is much like the first impression. So this room is important to me. I would have to have my coffee table there. The one that has been with me since I left home, in all of its flacking paint glory.

I would be able to hang some of the puzzles I have completed, or other pieces of art. Maybe print and frame some pictures of my family so I can feel surrounded by their love. Or I could frame some of my favorite cross stitch projects. There are so many things I could do with the wall space.

I think I would enjoy a sunroom. Somewhere to stitch and draw, relax and bask. Somewhere with a lot of light and openness.

I could do yoga there. Maybe have the floor padded so I could also practice different things for aikido and taekwondo without giving myself bruises like I currently am trying to practice on my carpeted floor.

I would like to have trees in the yard. An elder tree would be nice since that is my tree through the Celtic zodiac. Maples are pretty. But really any type of ‘shade’ tree would make me happy.

I’m not a fan of pine trees since they don’t branch out very much. I like the lush green of sunlight filtering through leaves. I like birds building nests and squirrels jumping from branch to branch. I like the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze and how they flutter to the ground during the winter months.

I actually like raking the yard. It reminds me of when I would help my grandfather and dad. There’s a lot of positive memories associated with the task, so I don’t mind it.

I would like being able to have my little herb garden. Maybe in the sunroom or in a little garden bed along the windows. I like the thought of being able to walk out and pick a stem of basil to go with dinner, or dill to flavor the filet of fish I am cooking. Rosemary for the chicken.

Maybe even an actual garden with onions, zucchini, tomatoes. A crab apple tree.

That would require time, time which I currently don’t have, so I never thought very far into this part of my ‘dream house’.

Assuming I had this land, this ‘perfect life’ scenario, I’ll go ahead and assume that I am also free of work obligations, or that I am a successful freelance artist and no longer have the requirements of an hourly job.

I would like a garden and growing most of my own food. I would like learning what to grow when. My grandmother used to grow strawberries. Black berries would be fantastic. A pecan tree like what my grandparents had…

I remember loving to go over during the fall and helping to gather all of the pecans up off the ground. I remember my grandfather teaching me how to crack the shells open with my hands.

I might want a guest room for when my family and friends come to visit, but over all I think I would be happy with smallish 2 to 3 room house.

I like the idea of a small house with lots of space between me and the other people in the area.

It would be my little haven in the world. My retreat from the day to day.

It would be my secluded little Narnia in the middle of chaos, and I would love it.