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Today I remembered Demesne.
"Demesne- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In the feudal system the demesne ( /dɨˈmeɪn/ de-main; from Old French demeine ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord, master of a household")[1] was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The system of manorial land tenure, broadly termed feudalism, was conceived in Western Europe, initially in France but exported to areas affected by Norman expansion during the Middle Ages, for example the Kingdoms of Sicily, Scotland, Jerusalem, and England."
The first time I heard that word I remember sitting at my computer, in my old place. It was a converted garage. Most likely some guys weekend project. The kind of building they call a "mother in law" house. It stood behind our landlords place and my husband and I rented it for $550 a month. It was cold, and it cost a fortune to heat, even though it was as small as an apartment. There were very few windows and they either looked out onto the alley or we had them covered with blankets to keep the heat in. We called it the crap shack.
I sat there in someone else's room. Looking at my computer screen and dreaming of a house of our own. I liked that word. Demesne. I didn't know how to pronounce it and I still don't. I never said it out loud, it just sat there with me for awhile. And, there it stuck. Looking at the definition now I realize I must have put more into that word then is actually there. But, living in a place I couldn't stand, working a soulless retail job, and going to school full-time. I really wanted to feel like a "lord, master of a household."
That was the fall of '06. I spent most of that winter thinking about Demesne. And for a good reason, we had a plan. We were going to sign a contract for my husbands grandparents house. It was built in '53 by my husbands Grandpa Wally. Everything was done by either himself or with the help of his friends. He built it for his bride Stella and their four children. It was an heirloom. Family members retold story after story about the house and it's past inhabitants: Vast vegetable gardens long since past, an old apple tree that was removed, a dog that slept in the shoe cubby, polka dancing in the basement, sunday school in the living room, proposals in the basement, and in the driveway, wedding day pictures taken on the front steps, grandchildren playing on the kitchen floor, my husband himself said his first memory was having chicken pox and sitting on his grandparents couch. The stories went on and on. The house wasn't just a house it was a home. And when the spring came I was ready to escape the crap shack. I graduated from college with a bachelor of Arts. And on June 31st. We moved into our new home. It was like a lung full of fresh spring air. Now surely I would be "lord, master of a household."
I will finish this later. It is way past my bedtime. By the way
Thanks for all of the warm welcomes.
"Demesne- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In the feudal system the demesne ( /dɨˈmeɪn/ de-main; from Old French demeine ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord, master of a household")[1] was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The system of manorial land tenure, broadly termed feudalism, was conceived in Western Europe, initially in France but exported to areas affected by Norman expansion during the Middle Ages, for example the Kingdoms of Sicily, Scotland, Jerusalem, and England."
The first time I heard that word I remember sitting at my computer, in my old place. It was a converted garage. Most likely some guys weekend project. The kind of building they call a "mother in law" house. It stood behind our landlords place and my husband and I rented it for $550 a month. It was cold, and it cost a fortune to heat, even though it was as small as an apartment. There were very few windows and they either looked out onto the alley or we had them covered with blankets to keep the heat in. We called it the crap shack.
I sat there in someone else's room. Looking at my computer screen and dreaming of a house of our own. I liked that word. Demesne. I didn't know how to pronounce it and I still don't. I never said it out loud, it just sat there with me for awhile. And, there it stuck. Looking at the definition now I realize I must have put more into that word then is actually there. But, living in a place I couldn't stand, working a soulless retail job, and going to school full-time. I really wanted to feel like a "lord, master of a household."
That was the fall of '06. I spent most of that winter thinking about Demesne. And for a good reason, we had a plan. We were going to sign a contract for my husbands grandparents house. It was built in '53 by my husbands Grandpa Wally. Everything was done by either himself or with the help of his friends. He built it for his bride Stella and their four children. It was an heirloom. Family members retold story after story about the house and it's past inhabitants: Vast vegetable gardens long since past, an old apple tree that was removed, a dog that slept in the shoe cubby, polka dancing in the basement, sunday school in the living room, proposals in the basement, and in the driveway, wedding day pictures taken on the front steps, grandchildren playing on the kitchen floor, my husband himself said his first memory was having chicken pox and sitting on his grandparents couch. The stories went on and on. The house wasn't just a house it was a home. And when the spring came I was ready to escape the crap shack. I graduated from college with a bachelor of Arts. And on June 31st. We moved into our new home. It was like a lung full of fresh spring air. Now surely I would be "lord, master of a household."
I will finish this later. It is way past my bedtime. By the way
Thanks for all of the warm welcomes.
