About Today’s Downsizers

Apparently young people buying homes today often don’t want what their parents had. They don’t want big houses nor do they care for large lawns – they just want enough backyard for a patio and barbecue where they can entertain friends.

No useless rooms inside like a parlour or fancy dining room. Instead they would like a room for a big TV and space to play video games. They don’t want a tub but do look for a large walk-in shower. And they want to be within walking distance of shops and restaurants and schools so they are not dependent on cars.

A friend and I talked a bit about this sort of thing last week. He and his wife recently sold their beautiful country property and moved into a house in town. They’re loving the change. Their rural property was so big and filled with so many flower beds, he spent his days manicuring everything, as though he was the keeper of a large park.

In summer I drive in the country a lot and I often feel sorry for farm families who I see out caring for the large lawns surrounding their homes and outbuildings on beautiful Sunday afternoons. The one day of the week they normally could have off they spend bouncing around on riding lawnmowers keeping everything trim, even the roadside ditches at the front of their farms.

In the old days, farm lawns in southern Canada were not so grand. A very old picture of the farmhouse where my mother grew up shows just a small patch of grass surrounding the home, maybe only 20 feet or so. It seems as though farm lawns have grown bit by bit over the decades and now are rural parks as much as anything.

But who are they for?

Do those who care for them ever get to enjoy that space? Along some country roads in my area, only a few cars a day might pass by. So not a lot of viewers to take in all that grandeur.

Maybe young homeowners are onto something. Like the expression goes, do I work to live or live to work. Do I own my home or does my home own me?

But no tub? Seriously? No shower I’ve ever been in, no matter how roomy, could ever ease the aches and pains and tension like a bathtub full of very hot water and bath oil to save the skin. And with the light off and a candle on the sink, the room can seem almost like your own special home away from home.

Showering in the dark just doesn’t have the same appeal, not that I have ever tried it.

©2012 Jim Hagarty

Author: Jim Hagarty

I am a 72-year-old retired journalist, busy recovering from a lifelong career as an unretired journalist. This year marks a half century of my scratching out little fables about life. My interests include genealogy, humour and music. I live in a little blue shack in Canada and spend most of my time trying to stay out of trouble. I am not that good at it. I also spent years teaching journalism. Poor state of journalism today: My fault. I have a family I don't deserve, a dog that adores me, and two cars the junk yard refuses to accept. My prized possessions include my old guitar and a razor my Dad gave me when I was 14 and which I still use when I bother to shave. Oh, and my great-great-grandfather's blackthorn stick he brought from Ireland in the 1850s. I have only one opinion but it is a good one: People take too many showers.