Living uphill

When the car bottomed out as we hit the driveway the Realtor said, “Don’t worry, you’ll find the soft spot.” And sure enough, ten years later, about 75 percent of the time the car can make it up the drive without scraping.

There are things you don’t think about when you find your first dream house.

The 150-year-old pine tree out front is coming down $500 at a time. And yet, I don’t have the heart to take out something that has been around since the Civil War. I can only hope it rewards my tree hugging heart  by not falling on my living room when it finally does unravel (a technical tree removers term).

You never think that the driveway with a slope that scrapes cars will need to be plowed after even the slightest snow because gravity and no traction equals no forward momentum uphill.

It takes a running start from a distance almost across the street to whip up the drive if more snow falls after the plow guy has been here.

On the other hand, once you’ve made it up, the view from the hill is inspiring. From here we can see the fireworks in the park as the New Year comes in. From here the whir of the street below is muffled. From here we’re a little bit above it all.

I can say, going uphill is worth the effort. Even when you scrape bottom to get there.

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