Farewell to 119 Claron Place

Tomorrow morning my mother, her two sisters, and all three of their husbands will travel to Lenoir to be there for the closing on Nanny and GanGan's house.  We are all thrilled that it has finally sold, after sitting empty and on the market for several years.

Of course, though, there is a part of me that is awfully sad to know that it will no longer be a place where our family will gather.  Now, really, we haven't all been there in years, as no one has lived there in quite some time, but it is still very final to have the keys handed over to someone else.  And I am a huge sentimental sap, so...

If I had to tell the new owners some things about that house and how special it is, here are a few things I would want them to know.

• The full circle driveway is the best place in the world for learning to ride a bike.
• If you close the door on the back hall closet too hard, the pictures on the wall in the den may just fall off.
• You have to let the water upstairs run for a second when you turn it on - don't let the brown water scare you.
• The sun porch is the best place ever for planning family vacations.
• It's easiest to just throw the Christmas tree down the back hill every year when it's time for it to go out.
• The faded spots all over the wall upstairs are because that was always the "Wall of Fame" for our family photos.
• The best place to keep the front door key is in a dish on a piece of furniture in the foyer.  And a short, sharp, GanGan whistle-through-your-teeth and a wave while getting the key will let your visitors know that you are coming.
• We don't know why on earth Nanny picked pink fixtures when they redid the bathroom.  We're sorry.
• Turtles appear out of the woods from time to time and roam the driveway.  The pizza man needs to look out for them.
• The lampposts outside look the best at Christmas if you wrap them in garland.
• Try not to drive up on the metal that rims the driveway - it has been known to pop tires.
• When putting on makeup in the vanity area, you should refer to this as "making a face".
• You can fit A LOT of china in the hall closets.
• Look out for deer.  They tend to be everywhere.
• You'll have a great view of the cross on Hibriten Mountain at Easter on one side of the house and of the First Baptist steeple on the other.
• It will shock you how many people you can fit in the dining room at one time for a family meal.
• Don't close the door all the way in the bathroom off of the kitchen - you WILL get stuck in there.
• A little blue carpet goes a long way.  And a lot of blue carpet goes a REALLY long way.
• If you ever have to sleep on the floor in the big bedroom upstairs, you will be able to hear anyone who snores loudly in the master bedroom below.  Trust me.  (Coincidentally, the room behind the master is best referred to as the "snoring room".)
• Automatic closet lights are a huge bummer when trying to play hide and seek.
• The walls are not thick enough to muffle the screams of a 7-year-old having a tooth pulled upstairs.

Nanny and GanGan moved into this house before I was born, so it was the only place I ever knew of as their house.  I could list the memories made there for days.  Since we were the grandkids that didn't live in Lenoir, we spent countless, countless weekends there.  Santa and the Easter Bunny visited us there.  We watched Perry Como with them on the den floor and fell for GanGan's "Want to play a game?  It's called 52 card pick up!" every time.  Nanny sat in her chair in the den for hours and hours and hours and made gorgeous blankets and pillows and everything else.  GanGan would, for no apparent reason, pick up the phone and call Uncle John just to pick on or make fun of him and then promptly hang up and snicker to himself.

Their house hosted epic Christmas parties and wedding brunches and anniversary celebrations.  The girls played sleigh ride in the living room every single year.  A giant family portrait always hung between the windows in the dining room.  The sound of Nanny's humming and her feet tap-tap-tapping as she walked down the hallway was unmistakable.  GanGan came home from work for lunch every day and watched the market while he ate at the tiny little table in the kitchen.

I know I'm not the only one sad to know that this house is moving on.  None of us will ever forget all of the hilarious fun that has taken place there.  But I wish nothing but the best memories for the family moving in.

And I can't wait to see what color carpet they put in. :)