We've been living in the new house for just over three weeks now, and although we are having some trouble settling in, thanks mostly to our decision to delead the place, we are happy we bought this house. I think we'll finally start to love the house in about another month or so, once all of the contractors have left and we've returned from the vacation being forced upon us and I'm not mopping the floors every other day (and yes, I know I am neurotic since the lead dust tests all came back negative, so I'm really just mopping up nonexistent lead dust. But, man! our floors are CLEAN these days!). I look forward to that.

But we think we made the right choice in finally deciding to buy in Boston. Our mortgage is actually less than we were paying for rent at the beach house we lived in for the past 8 months, and way less than what we were paying for our place in Boston before that. And there are the tax incentives, which will only pull me even further away from my early-20-something desire of never having to use any form other than the 1040EZ, but hey, I've been a long way from that dream for some time now. And we actually OWN this place, which means we can do whatever we want to it. Although that freedom of ownership is a double edged sword, as we are also responsible for fixing EVERYTHING ourselves (or at least hiring people to fix it for us). And this IS an old house, so there is plenty that needs fixing. But it's the oldness of the house that provides it with the character we like so much.

And did I mention it's a SINGLE FAMILY HOME? That means we aren't sharing walls with a 22 year old who doesn't give a second thought to cranking up the volume of his home theater system at 3 a.m. And it means we can listen to our OWN stuff as loud as we want, and I don't have to freak out about Ezra disturbing the neighbors with his loud, stuttering toddler gait. Or his occasional tantrums. Not only that, but it's a single family house right in the city! Only one block away from the T! Once again, most of the things we need are within walking distance, or at least a short T ride. But despite it's proximity to all the action, our house is located on a quiet, dead-end side street. It's the situation I'd never allowed myself to hope for because I did not think it existed in our price range.

And despite our minor irritations with the house, all is made up for by the fact the we LOVE our neighborhood. We have met so many very cool, interesting people (lots of them parents) in the short time we've been here. People who have chosen to live their lives slightly (or extremely) more alternatively, or creatively, or selflessly. I thrive on being surrounded by these kinds of people, it makes ME feel more alternative/creative/selfless. I feel more alive and interested in the world around me, and feel a need to do something to contribute. Living here, I am reminded of the year I lived in NY, when I somehow managed to surround myself by people living life in this way, and I felt full of vitality and inspiration. It's a deliciously addictive way to feel.

And in this neighborhood, on every block there is an agency that does something that attempts to make this world better. On the corner of our street is the Somali Development Center. A little further up the street is the Haymarket People's Fund. It goes on and on. And the people of this neighborhood are devoted to making it a better place to live, by keeping out national chain stores and restaurants, coming to plant a tree or a vegetable garden in your yard, having art classes for children and adults, providing clean and safe playgrounds for kids, having a very active neighborhood council, and holding planning meetings to figure out how to improve the neighborhood without gentrification that prices people out.

There are some tough areas in this neighborhood, and it takes dedication to work on improving them. Several months ago I promised myself I would get involved in some kind of community building, because I want to do everything I can to make sure Ezra grows up in a strong community that not only provides him with fun and safe things to do, but also provides all the neighborhood's kids with opportunities to improve their lives and add some beauty to their childhoods. Living here it is impossible to ignore that promise I made. And that's a good thing.

So yeah, we did good buying this house in this neighborhood.