I have to tell you about my Great Aunt Mary. She died 16 years ago at the age of 99. She was a hoot.
She lived on a busy street in the middle of town. It was a large old house, built in 1919. It's entirely possible that the house was new when she and her husband moved into it, which probably explains why stepping into her house was like stepping back in time. She had hardwood floors throughout the house (except for the kitchen and bathroom) but the hardwood was covered with grey wool carpet with a 1940s pattern. It wasn't quite wall to wall carpet; it was the kind you could roll up and take outside to put over the clothesline to whack clean.
When you walked into her house immediately to your right were the curio cabinets. . .dark wood, curved glass protecting a host of delicate figurines. I never tired of looking at her figurines but I'd be hard pressed to describe any of them to you now.
To the left you found the living room. The furniture was the kind that never wears out. Prickly to sit on but with firm, durable cushions. She had a gorgeous green tile fireplace. She told the story that once a man came to her door and tried to buy the fireplace. She told him it wasn't for sale. He persisted--told her he'd pay her good money for it. She insisted it wasn't for sale--it was part of the house and the only way he could get the fireplace was to buy the whole house, but of course, it wasn't for sale either. She was sharp as a tack and full of spunk. She had to be in her late 80s when that happened.
It's odd but I really don't remember much about the rest of the house. The dining room was immediately behind the living room but it was almost always dark. I remember going into her kitchen one time and I was surprised that it was so small. It was just big enough to cook in but certainly not a kitchen the family would hang out it.
I have just a vague memory of the hallway off the dining room that led to the two bedrooms and bathroom. Certainly I would have been in the bathroom many times but I have no distinct memories of that space. And the bedrooms were only glimpsed a few times on the way to the bathroom I guess.
Seeing Aunt Mary was like a little step back in time too. She still wore house dresses like she would have worn in the 40s or 50s. And she wore her hair in waves. But as "old" as she looked, she never acted it. You see, the four lane road that she lived on was quite busy. It had been a 2 lane road with parking on both sides when I was very young but as traffic increased, they made it 4 lanes for driving and parking was forbidden at all times. But the traffic didn't bother her in the least. She lived in a neighborhood where people took care of each other. There was one day that she told us about how when it snowed it was her job to cross the street and shovel the sidewalk and steps for her neighbors. They were the "old people" in the neighborhood and she felt a responsiblity to take care of them. After all they were in their nineties. At the time Aunt Mary was in her mid-eighties. How awesome is that?
Hard to believe she's been gone 16 years. I would love to see her house now but then again, maybe I'm just as happy to keep the memories I have rather than see what someone else has done to her home.
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