September 2014

Something about old homes brings people together. Perhaps it’s the struggles of dealing with knob and tube wiring, rusted pipes or layers of paint, but I think it’s something deeper. Maybe it is a connection to the flux of life. I liken my feelings toward my home as something similar to the Buddhist idea of impermanence. Simply put, impermanence means that things change. Buddhist doctrine often uses a flowing river to illustrate this change. Although the river appears to be a continuous flowing object, it is always changing. The river of today is not the same river of tomorrow.

Similarly, this old home is a transient object in my life- not something that belongs to me. The home has changed over time based on the circumstances of the inhabitants; it appears the same, but like the river, it is always changing. These small changes occur when I repair a window, I replace a stair tread or I paint over siding that has changed colors dozens of times. Most old homes have changed with the passing of time. A popular activity for old home lovers is the search for historic photos of their home. An old photo proves that change has happened and puts you smack dab in the middle of impermanence.

I often wonder what future owners will do to adapt this old home to their needs. Each past, present and future inhabitant has left or will leave a mark-even ever so subtle-that hints at a bit of immortality. No, an old home doesn’t make you immortal, but somehow it helps lead you to nirvana.

The East Parlor

The lower level in the front part of the home originally consisted of 2 separate rooms. One was likely the fancy parlor that guests saw, but was never used by the family, and the other was likely a room for daily use.

The East Parlor was probably the room for daily use. At some point, one of the home’s owners removed the wall dividing the 2 rooms, leaving a large, almost loft-like space. The room has a lovely bay window-wavy glass still partially intact. Before moving in, we removed carpet, patched plaster walls, hung a new (smooth) ceiling and added new trim.

For the first few months of residence, we used this room as a dining area; our small dining table (my grandmother’s old kitchen table) looked a little ridiculous in the larger dining room.

Eventually, we moved a small sofa and chairs into the space. The owners of our previous home on Main Street did not want to keep the wood burning stove that we had added to the kitchen there and graciously returned it to us. We installed the modern Swedish stove in the East Parlor. I made curtains and we hung art.

If you have a story of old house love you’d like to share, please send it to editor@zvra.com.

Of course, I am perfectly willing to continue the love with my home.