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A good friend of
mine asked if I wanted to tour some of the homes in the Homes of
Enchantment Parade this past weekend. “Of course” I said. What red
blooded American woman would pass up an open invitation to walk
through gorgeous homes and see the latest and greatest appliances,
décor and luxury that money can buy?
Our first stop was the grand daddy of the Parade this year; a $4
million dollar estate everyone is talking about. When we got there it
was closed, “Try again next weekend” the security guard out front
tells us. What a let down. We crane our necks to get a peek into what
$4 million will get you today. But through the iron gates, the tinted
windows and the designer plantation shutters, no such luck.
Our next stop is a $1.4 million home in Rio Rancho. We enter this
rambling Tuscan/Mediterranean style home and immediately notice the
horseshoes sporadically inlaid in the ceramic tile throughout this
single story gem. The family room has a gorgeous mural of the
mountains and sunset, a soaring ceiling and beams my cat would give
her favorite toy mouse to spend the day on.
A new feature in one Parade home is what they are calling a spool.
Have you heard of these? It is a combination of a spa and a pool; a
small pool/large spa with features of both. Reminds me of the newly
designed names for dogs; Labradoodles, Spanadors and Jack-A-Poos. And
they’re doing it to fruit too. I saw Raley’s was selling plumcots over
the summer; a cross between a plum and a kumquat. Curiosity got the
best of me and I bought a couple, but no one in my house had the
courage to try one. The spool was not as cool and groovy as its name,
basically just eye candy for the patio and what you would expect a
spool to look like.
By about my fifth house everything became a blur; turquoise Brazilian
granite counter tops melted into diamond finish interior walls. Six
foot projection television screens over Travertine tile and bamboo
flooring. Commercial grade Viking stoves, stainless steel fridges,
wine coolers and on and on and on. It was time to go home.
Upon returning to my house, my garage door opened and there was the
familiar pile of bikes in the corner, the lawnmower and the dust
covered train set in disarray on the ping pong table, ugh. I walked
inside to find my child’s cat slippers left under the kitchen table
and my dog staring at me from the other side of the nose print smeared
sliding glass door.
But then I notice the “A+” spelling test held on to the refrigerator
door with my child’s hand made picture magnet from Kindergarten. On
the counter was my teenage daughter’s plant from a science experiment
six months ago; it is on its last leg, but we still continue to water
it because it just might pull through.
I walk through the family room and notice the beautiful antique vase
that once belonged to my great aunt. I notice the family pictures on
the walls; the ones of relatives who live far away and the ones of
relatives who are no longer with us.
I may not have a spool or a Labradooble, or horseshoes in my tile, but
I do have love on my walls, laughter in my halls, and a home that
reflects my family’s love for one another. And to me that beats out
turquoise Brazilian granite any day, but maybe not a Viking stove.
My next project is to get out the bottle of Windex, clean the nose
prints off the back door, sweep up the dust bunnies and get ready for
my parade to come marching through the back door.
Quote of the Week: “I've strolled down Paris streets, been lost in
London fog. But all I really need are the fields of Arkansas. I've
traveled 'round this world and I'm ready to go home”. I’m Just a Girl
by Deana Carter
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