Restorations

Over the last month I have poured exhaustive energy into my little, old house.  The renter left and I scrubbed and painted every surface and nearly every wall in the place.  Cleaned the carpets, bleached the flooring multiple times.  I so wanted to have my little home at least "decent" by Christmas. I wanted to be proud of her when my family came. And I was!  It took all my emotional and physical energy but it was worth it! 

Once we were "in", the smaller, less noticeable, yet equally important tasks have needed tending too.  A reoccurring thought has surfaced during this process. It feels as though restoring an old house is an awful lot like rejuvenating a marriage....

Some of the items need cleared out and thrown away immediately! They've stopped working or have become dangerous! (stove)  Some things have lost the ability to work effectively and need replaced with something better. (fridge)  Some things died a slow, cold death a while ago and you can't revive them so you have to manage the costs of moving on with something new. (dryer) 

Then there's the little things allow us to reap great rewards for little effort.  A little handle added to a door, new curtains to hide ugly old swamp coolers.  There's nothing like new area rugs to cover up worn, old floors until we can afford to get the laminate we dream of.  Its the little things that make such a huge difference!

A few things in old houses and marriages are bothersome, but not something you can really change.  You must accept them as they are and choose to love it anyway.  The floors aren't level and they squeak.... the walls are cracked.  But they aren't deal breakers.  A little fresh paint and things look nice enough to keep you happy.

Some things in old houses or marriages are BIG projects that will take an almost ridiculous effort to repair.  But you know they cannot stay they way they are if you want it to stand for a lifetime.  So you plan for improvements and work diligently until things shape up and are strong again.  My little house has a cedar beam down in the belly of a basement.  The beam is doing its job of supporting the floors of the master bedroom, bathroom and part of the kitchen.  But that beam is getting tired and probably won't stand forever.  Ninety five years has taken it's toll.  I know it's going to be a tough project, but I'm going to have to move forward fearlessly if it's gonna last....