I’m back from the trip to my hometown back east. I can’t express how good it was to be back there. How calm I was (in anything that DIDN’T have to do with Mom or the shithole I live in now), and how much nicer an atmosphere there is there. By that I am talking in part of the people…to see a group of young people back there does NOT inspire fear and suspicion. People are pleasant and friendly. I felt safe outside at night. I felt I belonged. I saw my friends (not as much as I would have liked) and they treated me the same as they always did, like I haven’t been gone. It meant more to me than anyone will ever know.

And the town…a few changes but still basically the same. Simply lovely. Small and quiet. Being there reinforced the hatred I have for where I currently am. My homesickness is more than ever now. I will go back for good someday.

I know I have lots more to say but am still overwhelmed that I can’t find the words. But it was GREAT to be there. I didn’t get as many pictures as I wanted though, I suck at remembering to have the camera at hand. Below are some of the ones that I like the most.

For the second month in a row I caught a break. My sister decided to take Mom to bingo on Mother’s Day, which being a Sunday gave me a whole 5 hours to myself. And what did I do with it? Not much…as soon as they left I found myself back in my bed where I stayed until just before they came home. Oh well, I haven’t been able to do that in almost 7 years so it was good.

Sunday May 11, 2008 – 11:01am – 4:03pm = 5 hours and 2 minutes.

The other day I posted some of the views of the outside of my beloved little house back east. Now I’d like to share the few that I have of the inside. And although these were taken “AMI” (After Mom’s Invasion) they still remind me of a happier time when I had sanctuary in my haven. But this was a great place to live, located in a small township where you had the main drag and everyone knew everyone else kind of like the town I grew up in. But it was also only a mile or so from major highways, shopping and restaurants. And the landlords maintained a vegetable garden there that all the tenants (there were 2 houses and a building with 3 apartments) were free to take from. Yeah, I was pretty stupid to leave it.

Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of the whole house, just the kitchen and the enclosed front porch. Anyway, enjoy!

This view was looking out the back of my house to the apartments my landlord also owned. The interesting thing is that the first floor windows there are the apartment I lived in before I moved across the driveway into the house.

This was my kitchen. It was old and really not all that functional, but I loved it. In the little cubby on the left hand side in the second picture was a nice little pantry. And being the handy person that I am, I built the cabinet doors and the radiator cover. I also installed a new floor, beadboard on the walls and installed a screen door leading out to the enclosed back porch but unfortunately I didn’t get any of those things in any pictures. Oh and the smiley face in the last picture is my cousin who would not be all that happy about having her picture published on the web. Just so you know.

The enclosed front porch, a tiny little room but all windows that looked out at the trees. Quite the cozy place to sit. It was especially nice to sit out there at night all bundled up on the couch and watch the snow fall. Very pretty and peaceful. The floor was cement and in a moment of inspiration I bought some cement floor paint and painted a cute area rug. Again though, stupid me never got pictures. I also installed the shutters on the windows.

An atmosphere picture. That’s my Maggie sunning herself in the front window.