TALL CEDAR TREE AND MEMORIES

WHEN I LIVED IN THE OLD ROCK HOUSE IN SMALL TOWN AMERICA, I read the repost of articles published in the local newspaper written by an elderly lady named Ada.  She once lived where I did who wrote a small column for all to read.  I could personally go to the room she had written about looking in on it.  Rooms where babies were born.  The room she was born in.  Stairs that were the problem about falling down.  Radiators that warmed the place were right there to be felt by my hand.  Floors walked on by the author. Windows she looked out of onto the grounds she talked about.  Trees, shrubs and flowers.

We sat under the tall cedar tree that was in the front yard in 2016 to sort through our things as the Service Master employees carried our belongings from inside the house that were damaged from the house fire.  I remember that we were blessed to have a sun shiny day where the temps were perfect for sitting outside sorting through the rubble.

The tall cedar tree still majestically stands where it has been for decades.  I have a picture of Ada standing beside the mammoth tree in April 21, 1986.  Ada has been long gone, but I wonder what she thought of this tree in her front yard?  Ada was 79 years old here when this picture was taken.  

In the very spot she is standing is where we sat sorting our things.  Who would have known it? Not her and not us.

In 1986, we were living in Liberal, Kansas and didn't have a clue that there was even a 1885 rock house that would be our HAVEN in 2006 when we bought her.  We lived in this house for almost ten years and I was not ready to leave her when we had to.  

  

 

LIKE AN OLD FRIEND, I miss her.  Time marches on and I must do the same not focusing on it. AND NOW, I must continue packing up our present day belongings as we are moving into our tiny COTTAGE as elderly people and I'm having a time of it admitting that we are OLD and need to downsize.

Visions of organized rooms that function just fine for us as we continue to age bounce about in my head of imagination.  This latest hurdle of uterine cancer has slowed us down, but hasn't defeated us.  With praises to GOD for being alive, I am thankful our earthly journey is not over yet.  

I can downsize the things we need for our small rooms that will be well suited for us.  The COTTAGE will be easier to keep clean and orderly.  The small yard will be well groomed.  Flower beds lovely to look at.  Nothing about the property in sad repair after we fix her up.

I get excited thinking that she will be a well taken care of structure that we will live in as husband and wife.  Two old peeps in this place we will call HOME.  Dear LORD, please bless us with this opportunity.

At our main house, the upstairs JUNQUE ROOM should be completely empty by the end of the week.  Hubby got the toilet fixed and is working on hauling things to storage.  This week, I think he will have the fan and the light hooked up in the screened-in porch.  I will continue to carry down light weight items like small framed pictures, records and memorabilia.  What a mess I have to deal with.  Wish it were done.

August PROJECTS will be taken care of one by one.  I will do my best to get done what I can.  I am still extremely tired on the verge of exhaustion.  I didn't think it would be so trying to have surgery, but it has been.  I have not bounced back as of yet.  I am heading into having two weeks of recovery under my belt.  

A large storage box was hauled down for me to go through.  I need to be merciless with all these papers.  Can I be?  I know I can.  I will plough through this like lightening.  Praise the LORD.  He has helped me to get faster at this task than when I was pining over every image, letter and card that I came across before.  I can do this thing and call it good. 

On with living on the Prairie, 

~d

Remembering The Rock

AFTER we attended a High School Graduation and Reception in Small Town America, we took a leisurely drive about town and ended up walking the grounds of our old place of residence.  I did better about not aching so much when peeking in the windows.

I have walked through the house a couple times this past year which was harder then I like to admit.  Viewing pics on the internet has been painful.  This particular day, I did better.

The Living room isn't as large as I recall and the radiators throughout the house have been removed.  The Contractor enhanced much about the interior.  I like the Kitchen.  The Parlour and Family room wood floors looks more worn than when we lived there, especially the stairs.  They should have refinished the stairs.  The fire did a number on everything.

The upstairs floor plan was changed to where sharing a bathroom is positioned between the two back bedrooms.  The Master Bedroom remains the same with the bedroom that was across the hall become a closet with bath.

Lord willing, I will get completely over this house and live a great LIFE elsewhere.  Each place we have lived has had memories.  I don't want to mope.  TIME to throw myself into a GARDEN, Family, Friends, sewing, writing, drawing, painting, cooking, shopping, walking, something else besides being weepy over a house.  Amen and amen.

We put the upstairs middle window in September of 2016.  

When we moved into the house back in 2006, the front flowerbed only had a few Daylilies close by the porch.  When we left, the Daylilies were lush out front around the bump out and in front of the porch.

  

Hubs had tore out and rebuilt the porch back in 2010.

We bought this door from a Council Grove Antique Shop to resemble the other front door that had never been painted.  After we sold the house, the contractor painted both doors the same color.  I remember well the day we came across the door and hauled it home in the car.  I remember well the day Hubby installed the Parlour door and I painted the interior side white to match the room.  I gave it much thought about taking the screen doors off the house, but didn't.  The contractor did.  It looks great.  Shows off the old antique doors. 

The wall between the Kitchen and the Dining room was torn out.  Radiators gone.  

The Bathroom moved and a Pantry put back where it was originally in 1901.  The pantry we had was turned into a bathroom before we moved into the house.  All changed now.

BARN WOOD on the ceiling for Farm House fun.

Plaster taken off the walls to reveal the native limestone.

The Parlour had a change of color and radiators removed.  

The beautiful grille work is still there.  The two small chandies are still hanging.

You'd never know that there had been a devastating fire in this old rock house a year and a half ago.
Our concern was that when it gets really hot outside the smell of smoke will make itself known again in the house and the dignity of the back wall not be as strong as it should be.
Conflictive opinions.
We decided to honor the Engineer that inspected the house after the fire
and go with his knowledge about fires and limestone losing their integrity.

Do I wish we had stayed?  There are times I would quickly say yes 

and other times I would say no thank you.

There are times when I start thinking about what all was needed to be worked on 

before the fire ever happened and I shy away.

A different family will be moving in soon and I wish them well,

d

PICTURES OF WHILE THE CONTRACTORS

WORKED ON THE OLD STONE HOUSE

SOMETIMES it is best to not dwell on a loss for too long.  We still have paperwork to do concerning insurance and replacing what was lost.  When this is completed, I know myself and the memories will drift back into my thought life.  I may have to remind myself to focus on the good.

JESUS is that rock we are to build our HOMES on.

He is the one we are to embrace and call LORD.

I agree.

Matthew 7:24-27 King James Version (KJV)

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.