Changing Mantras

   For over a year we searched for a house with our divinely appointed realtor Shelly, and our mantra was always "what's wrong with this one?" We were pragmatic enough to realize we could never afford a place advertised as "move in condition". Nor did we want that. We preferred a home that needed us. It remains baffling however that we could fall in love with a place that needed so very much attention. I have no idea what we were thinking.
   If the previous owners liked their lighting fixtures which I noted disappeared with them, they must have been passionate about their doors. They left us only three. The cellar doorway was a dark gaping maw into the living room, and it was but one of many.

Cellar doorway on left- door elsewhere

 Around the remaining front and back doors there blew exposed insulation and sundry wall stuffing. The same could be said of  many of the windows. So our work was literally cut out for us and, as I have mentioned,  we had never done such things. Sometimes our solutions weren't perfect - nay, our solutions were never perfect. And it was out of those imperfections that the new mantra was born - "it's better than it used to be". One can get a lot of mileage out of that mantra. Simple things like a nicely painted door began to make a great deal of difference.

   And a good story goes with that door. I introduced myself to a neighbor whom I thought had a fine looking chicken house in his back yard. He laughed at the idea that chickens live there when, in effect, he does during cider season. Beside the cider house stands a garden enclosed with chicken wire, and on the north side of the fence is a lovely old door painted a pale mossy green. I told him the story of our missing cellar door and some days later he called to say he had found a good door for us.  It was indeed a beauty, and when I offered him money he told me it was his house warming gift. As was a parting bottle of cider. And a loaf of banana bread from his dear wife Louise.