We're Bonding

I think I'm finally bonding with my house.  It's actually beginning to feel more like home instead of this place that I happen to live at.

How do you bond with a house?  Well for me it's fairly simple:

1.  Clean.  Every room I clean becomes my room.  The more thorough the cleaning the deeper the bond.

2.  Hang something.  No not the cat or the dog next door that keeps on doing it's business in your yard, we're talking wall decor here.  It's like I'm tagging it.

3.  Cook something.  The more I cook and get in and out of the drawers, the more comfortable I am.

4.  Sitting.  Sitting in silence is usually best.  Sit and ponder the potential of this project that is now mine.

5.  Mowing the lawn.  Every inch of the yard, whether good or bad, becomes yours when you mow the lawn.  Instantly claiming the vegetation as the friend you never knew you had or casting it aside as the will-be-removed-gimme-the-chainsaw-now vegetation.  (that sounds harsh doesn't it.  I'm sure it had it's day, it's just gone wild and like the wild olive branches they must be cast aside).

I know that this is kind of a lot about the house but it's all so new and exciting to me.  I have dreamed of home ownership for a significant portion of my life and it's just nice to have been able to take this step towards putting in our own roots.  David and I went on a walk around the neighborhood to get a better feel for everything and it was just so weird to think that we were a part of it.  Not just a temporary but a real part of it.  It isn't the area that would have been first on my list, but it will do the job.

What do you think is the most important thing about a neighborhood?