We completed our third and final move to our forever home last month. We knew back in January that we were definitely moving back home. More on the full story here.
We found our home on Easter weekend, completely by chance, and fell in love instantly. Aidan described it as the first house since Wild Azalea Lane that was perfect for every single family member. But moving three times in two years was A LOT, and so lots of self care was taken to make it happen. We have six acres on the Neuse River. An amazing vegetable garden. A wildflower field as our front yard. A detached garage so big we have named it The Hanger. And even a pool (which we were not looking for again, but damn it is nice to have).
One of our neighbors came by with a bottle of wine and to introduce themselves a few weeks ago. We hit it off immediately and made plans to get together soon. That hang out was last weekend, and we got all the scoop on Midnight Lane. One of the stories explained the mysterious easement to our house. It is affectionally known as the Redneck Easement. Now, I am sure while this was all playing out many years ago, it was in no way funny. It involved a neighborhood feud, meeting with county officials, but for me as an outsider, when I swing left at the yellow Dead End sign to get to our house, I will always chuckle at our Redneck Easement. Here is the story without identifying anyone since the feud is long over.
There are four houses that are a part of Midnight Lane. One family owned them all back in the 70s. They bought the front two houses and built the back two houses. The last one on the road is now ours. When the first back house was sold by the original owners, there was a sort of handshake deal that they owned the back pasture next to their house (and to the right of our house). But when the new owners bought the first front house, they decided they wanted to sell off some of the land. Here comes the feud. The first back house family put the yellow Dead End sign (and giant wood pile) in the MIDDLE OF A SINGLE LANE ROAD… and while the owners of our house were out of the country. Neighbors went to county officials who helped make a “work around” so the people who owned our house didn’t need an SUV to get to and from their home. Instead of paving the work around, they made it gravel (easier and cheaper). So now if you want to get to our house, you drive straight down Midnight Lane. Stop at the yellow Dead End sign, go left on a curve of gravel before you are back on the paved road.
I think the Redneck Easement gives 7955 Midnight Lane character. I am pretty sure there isn’t another house with a road as unique as ours. We honestly love everything about our forever home, including some interesting property sharers:
Barbara the Barbary Duck. She takes no shit and will NOT move out of the way of your car as you pass the beautiful pond. Even when the dogs bark at her…. she very, very, very slowly struts across the road. You go with your badass self Barbara!
Gordon the gopher. I don’t think I had ever seen a gopher in real life, but this dude is HUGE, and not in the way of being “big boned.” He is FAT and lived off of what was tossed into the composter from the previous owners. There are multiple systems in place to keep him out of the vegetable garden. You keep doing you, Gordon, and we can learn to coexist.
Otis the river otter. He lives in a tree stump directly across from my river sitting spot. The dogs are fascinated by him, never barking, but definitely curious as to what he is…. not a fish or snake, but not a squirrel. A furry thing that swims in the water and then disappears into his tree cave.
I am sure we will form new friendships with human and animals alike at our forever home. It truly is a magical place. I almost cried when I told the family that I met THREE of our neighbors within two weeks of living here. In Charleston, we only met one neighbor in the year we lived in the HOA neighborhood. The only other communications we had with others were via emails around past due HOA dues and the fines we would incur if we didn’t pay immediately. I am so happy to be back to a world where neighbors are actually neighborly. Who knew this introvert needed those kinds of connections.