Loving Old Houses

I live on a dirt road in a setting where all of my neighbors and I own property. We have lived there for 29 years and in that time period I have learned that people that own property are people that generally like their privacy. We have great neighbors and usually find that we do most of our connecting in the spring and summer months when we are all busy outdoors working and enjoying our yards or at our mailboxes shared on a wooden post.

There is an old house right next to our property. At one time it was the grandest house on the road, one I would use as a point of reference when directing people to our home for the first time. If that house could speak it would have said, "I am proud of both my interior and exterior and of the people that live within my walls."

Well, in the 29 years that I have lived next door to the yellow Victorian there have been 7 families in that home. And each of those families has chosen to care for or neglect the framework of the yellow house. It has now been empty for three months. The grass is knee high and the old house stands looking abandoned.

Just the other day, a stranger knocked on my front door asking if I knew anything about the old house. They felt that it need some "TLC" and wanted to see about buying it. I shared that I knew nothing about the house but that I did know that old houses left on their own, deteriorate very rapidly.

Well, as timing would have it, I was on my deck yesterday when I saw life at the yellow house in the side yard. I called out, "Do you know anything about that house?"  And a woman answered, "I own it."  The owners that have rented the house out for the past four years have decided to bring the yellow house back to its days of grandeur. They live in California and the clean up process is going to take time, creativity, hard work and lots of money,  but I am thrilled to know that this old house will once again be one of the grandest homes on our dirt road.  It was nice to hear voices and laughter coming from the house as I worked in my yard yesterday.  

Here is a poem that sums up my affection for old houses.

They who love an old house
Never love in vain,
For how can an old house
Used to sun and rain,
To lilac and larkspur
And a maple above
Ever fail to answer
The hearts that gave it love.

I look forward to watching the yellow house return to its glory.