The Historic House Next Door

 

                Around the block from our house is a house on the historical register. We've met the the people who live there a few times. They are nice people  as are all the people that live on our block. We've talked in their yard and in our yard. We've never been inside the house. That changed today.

                We had an invitation from them to come and visit last week but were unable to do so. Today we got another invitation to drop by. We had a lot of things we wanted to get done, but we decided this would be the best time for a visit. I put together a plate of cookies and we walked over. 

                We were met at the door by Sandy who ushered us into the kitchen. The kitchen was small, neat and clean with a little drop leaf table and two chairs set in the middle. We hung up our coats in a hallway coming out of the kitchen. We walked though the beautifully decorated dining room. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a sideboard next to the door we went through. Someone had started a jigsaw puzzle on one end of the table. Two of the corners in the room had built in china hutches with glass doors. 

                There was a sitting room just off the dining room. It had several comfortable looking chairs and a couch. We sat on the couch. Sandy and her husband Dave sat in two  chairs on either side of the couch. Sandy brought us some hot cocoa and we split one her her freshly made cinnamon rolls. It was all very good.

                The room was decorated with family pictures and paintings by Sandy's mother. The worn wood floor was covered by a colourful rug. There was a large window behind the couch we sat on. The walls were painted a lovely shade of dark green. The large window kept the room from looking dark. Our planned one hour visit lasted closer to an hour and a half.

                Before we left they gave us a tour of the lower floor of the house. The room next to the one we were siting in was the front parlor. The window looked onto the street. There was a large wood stove and a pillow trunk filled with wood. The house has a furnace, but sometimes on chilly days they burn wood in the stove. Looking through the parlor door to the entrance  there was a staircase that they had refinished. When they bought the house it was painted white. Now it was a golden colour with the beautiful grain of the wood showing through.

            They refinished the cabinets in the dining room. Dave took a class and made the leaded glass that was over the door leading into the sitting room. C and I were impressed. Just off the dining room was a small library that was being used as a bedroom for Sandy's mother. I must admit I was a bit jealous. Two of the four walls had bookshelves built into them and another set of shelves were built next to the bed. 

            We went back into the kitchen and they told us that they had to rip out everything and redo it. The cabinets had leaded glass that Dave had made.  We got out coats from the back hallway and said goodbye. 

            I was very glad to meet our neighbors and to see the inside of a house that I had been curious about for many years. I hope we will be able to get together again.