"Q" is for Quirky?.....Quite.

Have you ever had a friend live with you where it should never have worked out, but it did, and neither of you really know how or why? In fact, no one else can figure it out either? Well, I have. And, I'm not talking about my husband ...although he could probably fit this scenario equally well.

There were actually 3 of us (including my husband) who considered renting this wonderfully large one-level home we affectionately called, The Hacienda. Entering from the portico, the front door opened into a 27'x25' room with a massive, 3-way, red brick fireplace, towering up through a custom made skylight, right in the middle of the 15-foot ceiling.

I saw right away how it could work. But the 2 of them? Well...one called it strange and the other said too weird. Apparently, they were trying to convince me that it was a bit, uh...quirky.

We looked at a number of other cute cottage-like homes, rambling ranches, and even upscale condos. None seemed to compare to The Hacienda, in both size and character.

Finally, we all agreed and moved into this exquisitely quirky house, complete with an enclosed courtyard, Swedish sauna and step-down patio opening to the 18th fairway of someone's private golf course.

I divided up the huge room, which provided for an entry foyer plus 3 living areas -- one for conversing, another for dining along side the long wall of patio windows, and the third for comfy entertainment -- all with imaginary walls. We decided quirky was good and loved it.

In the days ahead, I began to discover just why our friend could accept quirky so easily -- it's what she was. Quirky? Quite right.

          "Every man had his own quirks and twists." 
                                                      ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe 

This may be so. But having a few, and being one, are slightly different concepts. I'm talking about far more than just a peculiarity of behavior, you know...an idiosyncrasy. What I'm talking about are consistent, yet unpredictable and unexpected, uniquely strange, oddly funny, somewhat cute and always present...character traits! 

In today's terms, I believe it's called: random. But the 3 of us decided the best word at the time, was...quirky. 

And that became her very endearing nickname: Quirky.

Big Chief, he loves squaw

Here's the unexpected part. Quirky decided that each of us had to have a nickname because she had one. For my husband, she chose Big Chief.

It was partially taken from a childhood nickname his dad had tagged him with, so others would be aware to watch what they said when he came into the room...Hi there, Chief Big Ears! 

She labeled me as The Deepster. If a person was willing, I could lead them down enticingly unfamiliar yet intriguing paths of thought, into the wee hours, without blinking an eye. It became a sort of trademark of mine. 

Nearly 9 years later, and that nickname grew into my inspiration for the title of this blog  -- all from those months at The Hacienda. I probably should add, one of her favorite movies back then was The Wizard of Oz, and I hadn't even thought of that when I went and picked out the picture for this post! Now that's quirky.

Well, there you have it. Three unlikely characters -- Quirky, Big Chief, and The Deepster -- living in an equally quirky, yet magnificent house. We don't know how or why, but it worked. How awesomely cool is that!

                                    Quirky?........Quite.