The Joys of an Older Home

I love our home. It was built in 1937, in the midst of the Depression. I'm guessing it was originally a two bedroom, one bath home. Somewhere along the way an upstairs bedroom was added, as well as a large master bath. The remaining attic space was finished off just before we moved in and it's now my office. It's a great space - cozy and comfortable. Except for the HVAC. The duct work they ran isn't very powerful so it's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Right now I've got four fans going just trying to circulate the air. Noisy, but tolerable.

Our home has wonderful original features like glass doorknobs on all the doors (even on the inside of the closets), original hardwoods (that are in dire need of a face lift), the original return air vent covers and a picture rail in all the rooms downstairs. Our walls are lathe and plaster, so we can't nail into the walls; our pictures hang from decorative cording affixed by hooks on the picture rail. It's a great home.

However ... just like anything that's aging (including me), little aches and pains begin to make themselves known. Last night's torrential downpour brought to our attention (again) that we need to replace the sump pump. It's really loud and - according to Ron - not all that effective. We have a small drain in the basement/garage, but he says we need one of those drains that span the width of the garage door. "Right before we go on vacation?" I ask. Really? Arrrrggghhh.

Another "perk" of owning an older home is a plethora of large, mature trees. We have seventeen trees on our lot, seven of which are walnut. You know how I feel about those trees. Trying to dodge the falling walnuts and the threat of rolling your ankle whilst walking through the yard has made our outdoor space a health hazard. And last night, again in the torrential downpour we lost two monstrous branches laden with walnuts. Ron cut up the fallen limbs last night, which I chunked into a pile. Today after my walk, I got out the wheel barrow and made ten trips to the burn pit, lugging branches, walnuts and other miscellaneous junk across the yard.

I love our home. But there are days when a condo looks pretty good. But only for a minute. Or two.