Albany NY, Snow & Homes for Rent

As we drove through Syracuse New York toward Albany, the sky was cloudy, the remnants of a past snowstorm were still on the road, and to my surprise, I had an overwhelming sense of calm. It was a surprise for me because if you know me a little, you know that I hate the cold and especially the snow. When he lived in the Northeast, he hated snow so much that he cried every time the weatherman said a storm was coming; real tears and when it became known that there was going to be a major snowstorm in April, I was put on suicide watch. It just never seemed to melt, and just when I thought I could see some grass, there was another big storm. However, as we drove to Albany, I thought maybe the reason I hated it so much was because I had to be in it. It seemed like I was always struggling to make my way on snowy roads to get to work. There was always a child to pick up early from school. I was wondering what to do with these children while I finished working from home. And then there was the shoveling; Shoveling that mess before my kids were old enough to do it for me was my least favorite chore.

As we drove I wondered if the place where you were born was lodged in your DNA somewhere and no matter where you moved to in your life, you unconsciously felt at home once you traveled back to your “birthplace”. I don’t know what this winter will bring, how much snow, and how long it will take me to hate it, but what I do know is that moment on the New York State Turnpike, I found my body yearning for that first big snow. storm. I longed to be comfortably sitting on the couch in our rented house in front of a fire with a cup of coffee watching it fall and knowing I don’t have to go out on it. I can only observe the beauty of everything. Of course, I’m sure this was just a memory lapse and perhaps a lack of caffeine. You should check back in mid-February and see if I still feel the same way.

I’ll tell you this when we pulled into the driveway that wasn’t shoveling, and as I walked to the end of the driveway to pick up the trash cans, it was all thrown back in my face. Not just snow, but home ownership, living in a rural setting, and lugging trash cans to the end of a driveway and vice versa. When we first decided that we would take this job in Albany, I was excited to stay in a house. Turns out I’ve become a city girl a lot, and this city girl loves her apartment with its stunning views, security features, the laundry room within 20 steps from the laundry basket, and perhaps most of all, garbage collection.

It’s funny the things you forget. Living in the south has made me forget that other places in the world make you pack your own groceries. That it takes a long time for people in the Northeast to be friendly, if they ever do, and I think they always glance at you when they realize you’re not from around here. Rob stares when they see him in shorts and how he is yelled across the parking lot to put on some pants.

I’m not exactly sure what these four months will bring, and I’m sure things will get better once I start working. I know, though, when I crawled into someone else’s bed last night, turned on my sound machine, put my earplugs on, I was once again homesick for my own bed and the sounds of downtown Nashville.