Winter is Here

We woke up this morning to a powdering of snow on the ground, a temperature of 16 degrees, and the wind chill factor is -4! Poor Tandi--she really didn't want to go outside to potty, and I wasn't too keen on accompanying her, either. You haven't lived until you've watched dog poop roll down an embankment dusting itself with snow along the way. And only 4 days ago, it was mid-60's outside. Brrrr!

The cure? Watch the HGTV Dream Home show from last night.


Beach scenes, coral-accented living rooms, chartreuse bedrooms--gotta admit it's warming, but oh, how ugly! The views of the ocean and bay are beautiful, but the color and boxiness of the house, the "neighborhood" that is planned, the "yard" do nothing for me. Of course, this doesn't stop me from entering online daily. If I win, it goes back on the market immediately.

Last year's Dream Home was in Winter Park Colorado, and was won by a man in Johnson City, TN, a couple of hours from here. He sold it to two surgeons from Denver who had no idea they were buying a famous house. They only wanted it because of the skiing nearby.

The year before, '06, was only about 45 minutes drive from here, in Lake Lure, NC. We met up with some of the other message board participants and toured it as a group. I have to say, that has been my favorite so far, even better than the one in Oregon.


There were too many stairs for the J-Man, but we could have managed, as the main floor had just about everything needed. Downstairs were an exercise room, a sewing/crafts room to die for, and a beautiful bathroom. I could have lived down there with a microwave and a coffee pot, providing I didn't have to cook for the J-Man! (Did you know there are message board participants who make a quilt for each winner? THat alone is worth the entering.)

The Nehalem, Oregon home was gorgeous, too, and it was the first one I ever entered. I knocked myself out, sending in dozens and dozens of postcards, all hand-stamped. That was before we had a computer, and I foolishly thought bright postcards would catch their eyes and someone would draw my name. That year, there were only 5.3 million entries. Only.

At the tour of the '06 home, we met Don and Shelly Cruz, the winners of the '05 home.


They lived in the Dream Home for a year, but were unable to keep it. Such nice people, but HGTV really goofed when they built that one. The planned community fell through, the clubhouse closed, and the Home was built on leased land--making it stuck out in the middle of nowhere. It just didn't sell, and now the Cruz's are auctioning it and all the furnishings, etc. I don't know if any of the winners have been able to successfully keep the Homes.

The winner of the '02 home, Milton, was a jewel, answering questions for those of us on the message board, no matter how trivial they seemed. He sold the Maryland home, but kept the car. I understand he was going to continue with plans to build his own home on land he already had, but he also paid off his mother's mortgage. What a generous, thoughtful son!

So no one can really afford the insurance and the utility bills and the taxes on a house of that magnitude. Oh, but the dreams you can fill from the proceeds of the sale of the Home, right? And that is what makes it a Dream Home.