July 21, 2008

What I love about my Village - Zionsville, IN

I live in "The Village" of Zionsville. An 11-block area of carefully restored historic homes, interspersed with historically-styled new homes, surrounding a small commercial area of unique boutiques, businesses and fantastic restaurants. I now know I can’t live anywhere else and the reasons why are as hard to put to words as it is to describe the earthy, warm smell of a 100-year old attic J But I’ll try... it starts with the sigh of relief my entire body releases when I cross 86th St, heading north from Indianapolis. That seems to be the line that leaves traffic and stress behind me. It is the personal welcome my Village offers as the flowering trees wave me home through the colorful homes they frame. It is the pride of ownership my neighbors take in their homes, the potted plants, the freshly turned mulch, the cute little art pieces stuck in gardens and hanging on front doors. It is the thrill of knowing I LIVE at the destination point for many weekend travelers. Watching the shoppers and tourists who choose to visit my hometown is cool, and I don’t even get angry when they park in my driveway.

I sit on the porch in the evening and listen to the music waft from the restaurants nearby. When a wedding is in progress at the Nancy Noel Sanctuary next door, watching the wedding party come and go and their guests linger on the porch is entertainment enough for me. To walk to everything in town from my front door is the ultimate in convenience. To know that my neighbors will actually track down my wayward old dog when she escapes from my yard is comforting to know that in a real crisis, they’ll be there, too.

When a large tree crushed my fence last summer, my neighbor cut it up, hauled it off and fixed my fence before I even got home from work. I didn’t buy my home for value or lowest price per square foot. I certainly didn’t even buy it for modern conveniences or finished basements or a grand master bath because it is NONE of that. It is nearly 100 years old! I bought it for all the reasons above, knowing that I can finish a basement, I can add a garden tub, and I can change siding or anything else structural that I was unhappy with, but I could never replace that mood or character my Village offers.

Posted by: Jennifer Blandford