Something Of Which I'm Extremely Proud.........

[chachp]

WOW! Brought tears to my eyes!

I am a sentimental old fool these days. My Dad passed away not long ago and we have been going through the opposite so to speak. My parents or now my Mom (84 years old) I should say live in Youngstown. And my Mom has been having us clean out closets and the basement to get rid of the stuff that belonged to my Dad. It's been a very wierd process. She wants it all out of the house!! They have lived there for 41 years so it is as close to home for me as there is. We grew up in New York and this article made me think an awful lot about the house I was born in. The next time I am home I'll have to check that out.

Thanks for the great read and I am sure your Mom is very proud of her new old house and I am sure she is especially proud of her sons!

 

[angus]

What a wonderful story, and how great that you and your brother could do this for your mother. So much of our lives is focused on moving up and out - and it has almost become a religion. Change is good, etc, etc... But you have shown us what I have always believed - that continuity and family devotion is the best thing for us. It gives us our foundations and keeps us strong.

I am thrilled that you all can be so close physically to each other. Happiness in your own back yard - what could be better??? You're an exemplary son!

 

[dalangdon]

Let me echo what so many others have said - this was really neat! What a fun idea, and thoughtful thing to do for your mother!

My mother is up in years, and still in the house that she and dad bought in 1962. We keep toying with the idea of moving back to Council Bluffs and taking over the housekeeping for her. The town is a bit grim, but her neighborhood is really quite nice, and Omaha is just across the river (along with a few AW members!) so who knows.

 

[danemodsandy]

What a Great Thing!

As one who has seen his childhood memories eradicated by runaway development and a truly, horrendously misguided remodelling of his childhood home, I say hats off to ya.

 

[pturo]

Sometimes the best things in renovating a home are to strip away the layers of years of "updates" and remodels and get it back to what has true for the time and how it was built.

 

[danemodsandy]

pturo:

The house I grew up in was a subdivision Cape Cod built in, I believe, 1949. We bought it in '59. At that time, although it was certainly no mansion, it was painted white, its materials were honest and its proportions good. We lived in it throughout my school years; my parents moved from it in '74, after I had left home. The neighbourhood was once very nice, but began to decline in the late '70s. Until recently, though, I'd drive by when I was in the area, to look and remember; it looked little changed, except for a creeping carelessness about the lawn and plantings.

Unfortunately, about two years ago, I drove by and was greeted by a shocking sight. The house's well-made, well-proportioned windows had all been replaced with the cheapest possible vinyl replacement windows, complete with those filler strips that make small windows fit big window openings. The roof over the front porch had been stripped away, leaving the front door naked. Much of the landscaping I'd spent so many hot Georgia Saturday afternoons tending (most unwillingly, to be sure) had been brutally hacked down. The place had been painted a garish mustardy gold, and there was a partially disassembled car in the driveway.

All I can say is that I will never go back, except in memory.

 

[retromom]

Jimmy!

What a beautiful story and loving testimonial to your family!! I got chills and smiles at the same time when I read the article! I know Mom must be very proud of her wonderful sons!

 

[jeb]

You should be very proud!!!

Hi Jimmy . That was a wonderful thing to do. I too am somewhat sentamental and saved many things from my parents and grandparents. Although I could never restore my grandmothers house I did decorate my livingroom to look like a 1940's livingroom using alot of my grandmothers old furnishings. She was a very modern woman and when she moved to a smaller house she wanted all new things so I got the old. She is gone now but I still remember her telling me about when she got the differnt peices of furniture and the stories to go with them.

 

[58limited]

Too cool!