A Home With Heart

 There are responsibilities that come with owning an old farmstead.

Some are obvious, such as;

Respect the land, 

Honor the home's history, 

(and keep all that old woodwork dusted! 😉)

 But others pop up in a more subtle way...

Like when we receive phone calls from past owners, asking if they can stop by to see the place.

Homes with history need hospitable owners who understand their home still lives in the hearts of many people.

We knew we had found a very special home when such a request was asked of us only a year after moving here.

The descendants of the man who built our house came to visit, along with their descendants, (totaling 50 people in all!) and it was a very meaningful experience. 

Meaningful for them, as they got a chance to visit the old family homestead, and reminisce over past times.

And meaningful for us, as we learned the history of our home and absorbed all the stories and memories they could share.

That was over ten years ago, and we told them they were welcome back anytime they wanted.

Well, today we were visited again by the grandson of the man who built our home, along with his daughter. He grew up here, and I could tell it meant a lot to him to be back. 

He was bubbling over when we greeted them at the door. One of the first things he said was, "It is surreal to be here! I am so happy to see it's in good hands and being so well cared for."

It is always a joy to visit with this family. They are such neat people.

The daughter, who lives in California now, was very considerate. She offered to wear a mask and always asked my permission before snapping a photo.

Of course I told her, "No masks! Snap away! I'm thrilled you're here, please be comfortable."

I love hearing their memories of my home.

She told me she remembered the bedrooms upstairs, the large clock in the hall, and her grandmother's massive gardens. Whenever she was looking for her grandmother, she knew she could always find her on one of the porches.

She seemed pleased to see the porches were still here.

I put a pot of coffee on and made a few snacks...

and we walked around and visited.

They showed us where the old back staircase once was that led to grandpa's study...

They explained the original layout of the kitchen...

We heard stories of how they played basketball in the attic and roller skated in the basement...

I enjoyed hearing about his mother, who he described as a meticulous housekeeper. Animals were never allowed indoors and muddy boots were always taken off at the door...

The pocket doors in the dining room were always kept closed and only opened at Christmas, or when company was over....

They didn't have heat upstairs when he was growing up. There was one vent in the middle of the main floor where they all would huddle around to keep warm....

They were kind to share with us some information and photos of the original farmstead, which Micah and I found fascinating. We value any history we can find of our home, and keep it all in a special folder.

I like to try to imagine what life was like here one hundred years ago. It's interesting to look deeply at this woman's photograph and know she stood where I stand, worked where I work, and raised her kids on these floors and on this land.

How would she feel if she knew her descendants still held this home in their hearts and even come back to visit?

💗

Our visitors today wanted to see the trees their grandfather planted; a row of pines along the north side of the house.

We were sad to have to tell them a tornado took them out.

But we showed them the children's play cabin Micah built with the lumber from those trees.

They seemed delighted to know their grandfather's legacy lives on in that cabin.

As they were leaving I made sure to ask, "Did you see everything you wanted to see?" (We don't keep any place off limits for them when they visit, and they're all over the place when they visit; the attic, the basement, the barn, the trails...) Then I turned to my children and said, "Just think, in thirty, forty, maybe even fifty years, you'll come back here with your children and ask to see the trees your father planted."

(These pines were no taller than my hand when Micah planted them after the tornado.)

I hope in fifty years, when my children and grandchildren come back to the old family homestead for a visit, the owners then will welcome them and want to hear their stories.

It is not a fancy house, or a trendy house. 

It isn't eye-catching or up to date.

But it is warm and it is loved.

It's a special house.

It is a home with heart.

🏡

~ Courtney