Weekly Photo Challenge- Beloved, There’s No Place Like Home

This year marks the 25th anniversary of living in my home, a 100-year-old farmhouse in rural Oregon.  When I moved in May of 1993 with my then husband and 6-year old son, I thought we had made a huge mistake.  It was overgrown, musty and dirty from the previous owners who smoked. The interior was dark and depressing (it doesn’t get worse than old brown shag carpet).  We froze the first two winters.  Over the years lots of changes were made mostly by our own hands.  The place is now warm, bright, & inviting.  The now ex-husband departed years ago for a younger model and a better man has been with me for the last 18 years   My son has grown up and made a life for himself.  In the meantime, my roots have grown deep here.  This is my beloved home.

 

 

Farmhouse

I have no granite countertops

nor hardwood floors

an old white electric range

and portable dishwasher

do the cooking and the dishes

 

The floral wallpaper

peeling in places lines the walls

above the yellow wainscot

A shiny red woodstove

on a brick hearth

warms the large kitchen

 

The floor plan is ramshackle

added on as the needs of owners changed

during 100 years of occupation

 

More than a house

it is a vessel of memories

of people’s lives

including my own

 

Some would call it out of date

I would agree

but I like out of date

memories of simpler times

when life moved slower

the center of activity the kitchen

rather than an electric device

 

Yes, I don’t have granite countertops

nor hardwood floors

but the food here is good

and the table invites one to sit 

for a cup of tea and conversation

 

I go about my tasks with contentment

and with satisfaction

knowing that this is the place

I call home

Beloved