July 10, 2009

• This old house…

  So my new house is old. Very, very old. It was built in 1933. It was is the original house that went with the Dairy Farm. That’s what the big white and green barn was used for. And the 23 acres that surround this house. But one day the dairy farm shut down. Not sure why yet, but I intend to find out. Probly because of those dairy farms down in CA that we drive by. Thousands of cattle on just a few acres, on lots and lots of steroids. I’m guessing this place just couldn’t keep up. So it was sold to a man who loved to work with his hands and with wood. So he picked up a hammer and started working on this house. He worked for years, keeping as much from the original house as he could. Moving a window from here to there. Changing doors as he added square feet. And the house grew. And grew some more. He built a huge kitchen with windows all three sides that look out over the yards and fields. He added a huge master bedroom and bathroom and closet on the back side of the house. He blended bricks so you can hardly tell it was added on. He matched the woods. He preserved as much as was possible in this process.

  This man wasn’t friends with his neighbor. They fought a lot. So one day he just had enough. He put this big old house that he had labored on for years for sale. And it sold. The next family lived here 15 years. They loved this house. They had children who filled the walls with music and laughter. Then one day they had to move on too. So another “For Sale” sign was staked in the beautiful front yard.

  This time it was bought by some brothers. They had big plans for this house and the land. They put this house back on the market, now with only 2 acres. They began to divide the property. Eleven lots total. they put in roads and landscaping. They put a gate in, so it was now a “gated community”. They hired an engineer to draw up plans to save the barn and turn it into a Community Center. They put in RV parking for the homes in The Community. Then, the housing market slowed down. Then it came to a halt here. So they stopped with the developing. And this house just sat. So, after a few years, they decided to rent it. And we found it and fell in love with it. And moved in…

  my kitchen is on the left covered in the Jasmin
  

  The original front screen door
  

  The south side
  

  My favorite place to sit these days
  

  The front entrance
  

  A few of the outside light fixtures…
  
  

  One of the original glass door handles and locks
  

  The back porch
  

  The childrens “dream” climbing tree
  

  The garden house and Laura’s easel. She was painting this scene.
  

  

  A few of the thousands of roses that surround this place
  

  The children having their first “soak” in the hot tub!
  

  Pictures of the inside to come soon…
  ~Cheryl

  • 12:31 am
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