Chouses
I went through a bit of a phase awhile ago. Part of my unusual real estate fetish. I kept looking at old churches for sale - I nicknamed them "chouses". I didn't know what "chouse"actually meant, or even that it was a word. But it actually is. It is a verb that means to trick or cheat. Needless to say, my chouse is a noun, and is short for "church-house".
The first one I looked at was a sad little church that even I couldn't save near Medicine Hat. Bad energy. Then I almost bought one, well, two really, in a small town outside of Calgary. But then I didn't. Long story. Then I went down to see one in Claresholm, but it was a former Masonic Hall. Talk about bad energy (with appropriate apologies to all Masons out there - I'm a Rotarian, you see). But I still keep looking, as a type of hobby. There are a surprising number of decommissioned churches for sale, and even convents come up occasionally. There was a convent for sale in Leipzig, Saskatchewan a few months ago, that had been partially converted into a commercial bakery. That had many of my academic friends buzzing about buying it and starting our own private university. The University of Calgary at Leipzig - has a nice ring to it, no?
Now even my friends point out these churches to me. Perhaps hoping that I will actually buy one of them one day and they can come and stay. But I'm not sure chouses are really me after all. I have my eye on a nice little renovated cinema with a two bedroom apartment above it. Now that would be fun - Fred Astaire festivals every year!!! Hey, a girl can dream ...
I went through a bit of a phase awhile ago. Part of my unusual real estate fetish. I kept looking at old churches for sale - I nicknamed them "chouses". I didn't know what "chouse"actually meant, or even that it was a word. But it actually is. It is a verb that means to trick or cheat. Needless to say, my chouse is a noun, and is short for "church-house".
The first one I looked at was a sad little church that even I couldn't save near Medicine Hat. Bad energy. Then I almost bought one, well, two really, in a small town outside of Calgary. But then I didn't. Long story. Then I went down to see one in Claresholm, but it was a former Masonic Hall. Talk about bad energy (with appropriate apologies to all Masons out there - I'm a Rotarian, you see). But I still keep looking, as a type of hobby. There are a surprising number of decommissioned churches for sale, and even convents come up occasionally. There was a convent for sale in Leipzig, Saskatchewan a few months ago, that had been partially converted into a commercial bakery. That had many of my academic friends buzzing about buying it and starting our own private university. The University of Calgary at Leipzig - has a nice ring to it, no?
Now even my friends point out these churches to me. Perhaps hoping that I will actually buy one of them one day and they can come and stay. But I'm not sure chouses are really me after all. I have my eye on a nice little renovated cinema with a two bedroom apartment above it. Now that would be fun - Fred Astaire festivals every year!!! Hey, a girl can dream ...
Comments
How about a chouse in a cave? Of course, your chouse would have a mouse... and a cat to scare the bats...
Hhhmm....I'm thinking we could get a new Dr. Seuss book out of this!
As I reflect upon an earlier post, I love the somewhat sacriligeous idea of having poker nights in a church-turned-home. Bring on the licorice all sorts - amen!