Casa Femminista?

Still thinking about a home of my own. On a whim I stopped in at an open house of a Victorian that has caught my eye every time I have driven past it for over ten years.

Definitely not the sustainable vision I had been entertaining. It is about 4,400 square feet, with six bedrooms, an office, a study, a dining room, a three-car garage, a basement. WAY more house than we need. And it costs about a half a million dollars. ("Is that all?" my brother in CT asks.)

It has been remarkably restored. New stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, new gas boiler, new fireplace insert. The photos on the realtor's web page do not do it justice--all you can see are the chotchkies and the heavy drapes. What you can't see are the maple floors, oak moldings, high ceilings, very beautiful porch.

But we'd be crazy to want a place so big and, for us, so expensive.

Unless we ran it as a bed and breakfast.

Imagine Craft Mafia weekends (or weeks!) where crafters from all over the blogosphere unite in my home for several days of great food, good wine, crafting workshops, field trips.

Or birding weekends with expeditions led by my own excellent birding mentor, Al.

Or a secrets of the spas weekend, where we make (and use) our own spa products.

Or historic tours (Billy the Kid, anyone?) of our own corner of the world.

And then there is my family.

When my family wants to visit, we now actually have to rent a house to accommodate all of us. But with this house we could easily accommodate everyone. And if Mom and Dad wanted a winter retirement location, they could just move in. As long as we established rules about the kitchen. I can see Mom and Dad really enjoying being B&B hosts.

So it could become

a) a bed and breakfast business

b) a Femminista della Casa Social Center (guest lectures? a variety of lessons and demonstrations? book signings? )

c) the family's Southwest compound, of which Al and I are caretakers.

d) a combo of all (if the family decided to become investors in the B&B--which is probably the only way we'd be able to afford it, although I might be able to swing some special funding/loans for a new small business owned by a woman...)