Thimbleanna made me do it. All she had to say was "Abandoned Building." Abandoned houses intrigue me. Look at this, then close your eyes. And Imagine!
Do you think old houses remember? As the weeds grow up and the Spanish moss hangs down, do they weep for all their ghosts?
- what it was like when it was new,
- and someone regularly mowed the grass, and pruned the shrubs;
- when shouts and laughter echoed 'round the garden,
- and bikes leaned at crazy angles 'gainst the wall;
- when dogs barked joyfully and raced for balls tossed by freckled kids on reckless bikes;
- and crisp white curtains fluttered at the windows, and panes, now gray and grimy, gleamed in the morning sun;
- when flowers blazed where weeds now rule;
- when "Honey, I'm home!" brought children tumbling out to greet him;
- and delicious smells drifted from the kitchen.;
- when all the relatives came for Thanksgiving, and parked every which way under the trees;
- and Christmas saw a fir tree lugged up the steps into the living room, and there bedecked with ornaments and fairy lights;
- when someone's dreams were in full swing......
- ."and the bird was on the wing."
Do you think old houses remember? As the weeds grow up and the Spanish moss hangs down, do they weep for all their ghosts?
15 comments:
makes me sad, never thought of a house like that
oh definitely Molly and there are just Sad houses, on our Crescent ours is A Happy House. We have 5 definite sad ones .... one either side unfortunately, they often change tennants, marriages drift apart etc. etc.
I often wonder what is buried beneath that keeps our House a Happy One.
Thanks for the booktitle, am off to source the best buy. lol.
Just going to start The Kite Runner.
That is beautiful. I think that house has character. I know that some families and their histories are so closely tied to some house. But as romantic as it may sound, houses are just wood and tiles. They have no memories. But they become homes and not just houses in ours.
Interesting photo and even more interesting thoughts.
If this attractive house was in UK it would be snapped up for a good price and have life restored in no time at all (and its garden sold off as building plots!).
Wonderfully written post, Molly, as usual!! I love this house-even in it's sad shape. Poor dear.
Wow Molly. What a fabulous post! I love to wonder and imagine all those sorts of things. Your photos are beautiful. Please, PLEASE join the photo hunt next month!!!
And long hot evenings spent sitting on the veranda with iced tea and lots of family gossip .
Beautiful house !
That's a beautiful old house. I also feel sad when I see them falling ot bits, now unloved.
Patty---Well yes, it is sad that the dog died and the children grew up and drifted off to grown-up lives, and Honey and Dear had health problems that required the installation of a wheelchair ramp,and rats moved into the attic where, once, those fairy lights and Christmas tree decorations were stored.....The house may have found new life though. Having parked, like the Thanksgiving guests, under the trees, and shamelessly trespassed to take my pictures, I was going to investigate around the back, but there was a very new and secure looking door to what might have been the kitchen....It stopped me in my tracks, and my over-active imagination kicked into high gear; crack house? meth lab? squatters?
I beat a hasty retreat!
Birdy--No prizes for guessing why your house is a Happy House! You live there! You are going to love Kite Runner. And Splendid Suns is a "splendid" read!
LGS---Houses may be just wood and stone but I think they take on the character of the people who live in them.
RR---It will undoubtedly be snapped up, if, and when, the present owner decides to sell, but at the moment, with the economy in the toilet, no one is buying and no one is building.
Jen---wouldn't it be fun to have the funds to buy it and bring it back to life?
Anna---what makes you think I'm not doing the January scavenger hunt? Surely not the tiny detail of it being February already? As I wrote this, I realized you had opened up a rich vein of blog post possibilities by mentioning that list!
S&S---Don't forget the lemon wedge, and keep the smelling salts handy. It gets mighty hot in summer here and I'm thinking the only A/C was air moving [languidly!] between open windows!
Spy---How would you like to have this house on your couch telling you its problems?
Houses know and remember - my old homestead calls to me constantly. I love the life you've given to this old house but the wheelchair ramp speaks of other stories...
I don't know if the house remembers but I'm very sure that God remembers. :) blessings, marlene
Very evocative.
Maybe, before it is too late, someone will find that home and love it back to health.
60 years ago, my grandparents did that with the place they have lived ever since. But as they decline, so it declines.
I too love old abandoned houses. I dont know what it is about them that intrigues me but it always has. Always dreaming about bringing them back to their former glory and feel so sad that nobody seems to care for them anymore.
I love this home. It says to me it was filled with love, purpose and meaning. There is still life left in that home.
So nice to finally hear from an (odd!)passerby...Quite the detour you must have taken to get here! The house is still standing but looking more and more decrepit each time I pass by.
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