I was sitting outside with Mrs. Tamble and Son, talking with my mom, who'd paid us a short visit. Son was playing happily in the yard, showing off his talents on his tricycle for his grandma. I noted that a car was traveling very slowly up the road, and slowing even further as it came by the house. I didn't recognize the vehicle, but paid it no mind.
The car stopped in front of the mailbox, then backed toward the driveway. I assumed that the driver was lost or just out for a Sunday drive. The car backed past the driveway, then pulled into the drive up the hill and came to a stop.
I rose from my chair. "Hi - what can I do for you?"
"Hello." He introduced himself and the other occupant in the car, his mother, who looked to be in her 80s or 90s. "My mother lived here when she was a child."
"Oh yeah?" How cool is that?
"Yes - would you like to see a picture?"
I waved my wife over. "Wanna check out this old picture of the house?" Of course she did.
"This picture is 85 years old," the driver told me.
"Wow. Can I take this picture in and make a copy of it?" I asked.
"Sure, absolutely," he told me.
****
Our house was built, best anyone at the county records office can figure, in 1900. Here's how it looked circa 1922.
And, for sake of comparison, here's how it looks today:
That porch on the front of the house 85 years ago apparently wrapped around the north side of the house (to the right), though I admittedly can't really tell in the picture. It's a shame it's not still there, but knowing it once had a covered porch it makes me want to rearrange my priorities re: remodeling.
Anyway, the lady was one of 10 kids born and raised in this house, and they all slept in the upstairs! (Again, for comparison's sake, today the upstairs is used for Crap Storage, and only two of the three rooms up there has electricity.)
Apparently, the driver of the car brings his mom past the house every Sunday after church to look at it from the road. (!!!)
I feel like the current state of the house doesn't really do justice to its previous occupants (namely, the person I met today). But you can bet that I'll think twice before wishing for a good strong storm to pick it up and blow it away.
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Please note: My policy at Bramble Tamble is to not use real names for private citizens. I hope you will adhere to this policy; hell, it's my only rule here. (But you can use your own real name if you'd like. Cause I'm magnanimous like that.)