This post just might make you think of something you'd not thought of before.
In my last post I mentioned the blog of the previous owner of our house, and well, I was about to dash out the door this morning and weed and fertilize yet another grapevine, when I thought, "Hey! I wonder if Anna has any older posts about their little farm here? This place Tom and I call Healing Acres." Yesterday I'd only read posts regarding her new farm in New England.
So I zipped over to her blog and yes! I found posts about Anna's and Mark's farm life here, beginning in 2006. I'd planned just to sit a few minutes, but I got hooked reading Anna's stories about what is now my own home place, stories mostly which happened out in the barn and the pastures with the sheep and chickens.
Oh my goodness! I felt as though I'd discovered a dusty, leather-covered diary in our floorboards (ala the show, If These Walls Could Talk). What fun to read about the births of lambs, slaughterings of chickens, improvements made to the barn and winter snow. And the story of the injured bird inside the bathroom.
There weren't too many mentions of inside the house. Anna is a real-live farm woman who cares deeply for the land and farm animals and is mainly to be found outside. Me? I'm still mostly the inside decorator wanna-be at heart, though as I've mentioned, I'm becoming a woman of the land, as well, one heartbeat at a time
I giggled over a few of Anna's mentions of our neighbors. Mostly she spoke well of them, but a couple thoughts were written of her annoyance (rightfully so) and she used their real names. I'm thinking I'll change the names in my blog of my neighbors for perhaps someday new owners will read my blog, so hey. I'd not really thought of that before.
Anyway, I mention all this for you who also write about your home and yard in a blog. You, too, are creating a history, a legacy of your home place and your life there, a history for the next people who will dwell inside your home to read and treasure. Perhaps your blog someday will feel like the discovery of a dusty old diary. Who knows?
In my last post I mentioned the blog of the previous owner of our house, and well, I was about to dash out the door this morning and weed and fertilize yet another grapevine, when I thought, "Hey! I wonder if Anna has any older posts about their little farm here? This place Tom and I call Healing Acres." Yesterday I'd only read posts regarding her new farm in New England.
So I zipped over to her blog and yes! I found posts about Anna's and Mark's farm life here, beginning in 2006. I'd planned just to sit a few minutes, but I got hooked reading Anna's stories about what is now my own home place, stories mostly which happened out in the barn and the pastures with the sheep and chickens.
Oh my goodness! I felt as though I'd discovered a dusty, leather-covered diary in our floorboards (ala the show, If These Walls Could Talk). What fun to read about the births of lambs, slaughterings of chickens, improvements made to the barn and winter snow. And the story of the injured bird inside the bathroom.
There weren't too many mentions of inside the house. Anna is a real-live farm woman who cares deeply for the land and farm animals and is mainly to be found outside. Me? I'm still mostly the inside decorator wanna-be at heart, though as I've mentioned, I'm becoming a woman of the land, as well, one heartbeat at a time
I giggled over a few of Anna's mentions of our neighbors. Mostly she spoke well of them, but a couple thoughts were written of her annoyance (rightfully so) and she used their real names. I'm thinking I'll change the names in my blog of my neighbors for perhaps someday new owners will read my blog, so hey. I'd not really thought of that before.
Anyway, I mention all this for you who also write about your home and yard in a blog. You, too, are creating a history, a legacy of your home place and your life there, a history for the next people who will dwell inside your home to read and treasure. Perhaps your blog someday will feel like the discovery of a dusty old diary. Who knows?
And I would suggest throwing in all sorts of details. The wallpaper you put up--or took down. The day the paint spilled or when you had house guests and the name of the local restaurant where you dined. The room you added, the flower garden you put in, the place you buried the dog. Note the name of the tree you trimmed or the rose bush you planted. All of it makes for fascinating reading to new inhabitants of a home.
And add photos if you can! Lots of 'em.
And here you probably thought the days of the findings of lost diaries were over. But no, they're not. No, even recent history is still history and reading recent history about a person's own home still feels like old-time history, as well. Take it from me. I know. ッ
And here you probably thought the days of the findings of lost diaries were over. But no, they're not. No, even recent history is still history and reading recent history about a person's own home still feels like old-time history, as well. Take it from me. I know. ッ
******
If you can't guess, the stairs at the top of this post are our own (scary) stairs, ones I call 'closet stairs' at the back of our kitchen. The only stairs in the house--
--and can you believe it? There was no railing on these stairs when we first saw the house. We asked the sellers to put them in. I think all the earlier owners of this home were rugged folk. There are almost no improvements anywhere.
7 comments:
Did you have to move furniture up those steps? Oh my!! The thought of finding that blog is wonderfully rich. Heritage and legacy...that's what made me think of...connection and continuation.
those stairs really do look like they are in a true blue farm house setting!
and isn't that interesting that you found the lady's blog! how cool is that! i wonder if the folks that bought your house, are bloggers? who knew, eh!
blessings on you, as you continue to enjoy that rural charm and peace and hard work too! however, it feels good to see the end results! :o)
Love hearing about your new life!
I agree with the idea of changing names, etc. Actually, I was introduced to blogging by the guy who bought our house. Unfortunately, my experience wasn't so positive as he made some pretty negative comments about some of the work done by the "previous owners". What was almost comical was that most of the things he blamed us for were done by the owner before us. We were trying to be good neighbors (we moved just two blocks away!) and wanted them to have a good experience with the purchase of our home. So it was a real bummer when I read the negative stuff.
But I guess i all worked out because I learned about blogging earlier and have enjoyed reading from folks like you!
I was always "in love with" the idea of having stairs in the kitchen of a house, for some reason. it just 'tickled my fancy', to have a back stairway. And they always seemed so much more cute and etc., than front ones.
But I'd also like to have them, in the front of the house too. :-)
Mari-Nanci
'Smilnsigh' blog
You're right, I'm mostly an "outdoor girl". Much rather be in the barn or pasture than in the house, most of the time. We did re-do the closet as you mentioned, but can't take credit for the bathroom as that was already done when we moved in (although we did take down the shower doors - hate those things - and put a new faucet on the sink). And there were railings on the stairs but I think the owners previous to us put them in just before they sold the house. The long section of railing was there, and the short section at the very top, but the middle part didn't have a railing. My dad figured out the best way to put that in.
We think the barn was built in the 30's. There's a bit of a concrete slab sticking out to the right of the barn, right at the front. It's hard to see, but impressed into the cement is "1939"; probably was scratched into the wet concrete with a stick or something. You have to stand in the carport facing out to read it, and the light has to be just right. We didn't see it right away. And there are some names and/or dates in the concrete on the cellar floor, over by the sump pump if I remember correctly, and in the step outside the back door (you probably have seen those).
If you can believe it, there was an old oil furnace in the barn when we moved in (for the previous owner's turkeys we think - to warm the coop). And there was a workbench along the window side. The heavy lumber is still there on the floor. "Mark" had his own stand-alone shelving unit which he put up. And there was what was left of an old car right behind the barn, along with an old trailer to pull it with (we think it was possibly a little racing or demolition derby type car). It had decayed and mostly sunk into the ground. We were digging up car parts and scrap metal and taking them to the scrapyard for weeks (along with the old oil furnace!).
Oh, the history of it all!
So charming!
Everyday when I step outside to see what new things are blooming, I think of Grace, the lovely woman who planted them all.
And I get to enjoy them.
Our kitchen stairs are much like yours, and indeed, had no railing when we first moved here. A friend put one up on the wall, and I'm so glad because I use it all the time. I love those stairs. We have more 'formal' ones when you come in the front door, but I do love those curved, steep kitchen ones.
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