I suppose once I go through a full four seasons, some of this house stress will end

It's relatively obvious that a 45 year old house is not the same thing as a 20 year old apartment. But learning how it's not the same is a different and more nerve-wracking process than knowing abstractly that it's not the same (particularly when you're not just paying rent). Much of this has come with the change of temperatures, of course. In the late fall the duct sounds had me worrying briefly something was wrong in the crawl space. I'm learning when I should panic about settling and when I shouldn't. Now this morning I see cracks under the moulding which apparently can also happen because of the cold (caulk and repaint, that's all). In the end, I usually end up knowing more about the house than I did before the worry, which is nice. Houses are like people - they're each unique and have their own quirks that you get to know over time.

Four thoughts:

1. Google is such an amazing invention. It's very easy to check up on questions I have.
2. Once I go through four seasons in this house I imagine I'll learn most of the big things that are ever going to catch my attention in the future.
3. One comforting thought is always: this structure has been standing for over 45 years. It is not invincible, but if it's survived this long it's clearly gotten through everything it's going through now before. Just maintain it and gussy it up especially nice when it's time to trick someone else into buying it several years from now.
4. When there is work to do (and there has been), good help is always nice:

Getting ready to put up pantry shelves yesterday