Well, Carnacki has graciously allowed me to guest host the Happy Story diary tonight, so here it is!
-Carnacki
My happy story is about how sometimes, some things are just meant to be.
Well, one weeknight in February that year, I got a call from my mom, saying that she had heard from one of our old neighbors that old Dr. Berry had died, and she thought I should buy his house. I pooh-poohed her idea, just knowing I would never be able to afford the place. It was an old log cabin (built in 1947), with a greenhouse and a barn, on a couple of acres in a great school district. Growing up on the same road, I had always thought the house had a magical quality to it, in a “Hansel and Gretel house in the woods” kind of way. The gate by the road was made from an old wagon wheel, and I remember there were roses climbing over the fence in spots.
That Friday night though, I swung by the cabin on the way to mom’s, just to have a look. There was no “For-Sale” sign on the lawn. All weekend, I kept telling myself to just forget the whole idea, `cause I wouldn’t be able to afford it anyway. But for some reason, on the way back to Newtown on President’s Day, I decided to swing by one more time. As I slowed down to look at the house in the daylight, my older son suddenly piped up from the back “That’s a cool house! Let’s buy it!” At the same time, an old pickup truck pulled up alongside my car and the old man driving gestured to me to roll down my window. “Great,” I thought to myself, “Now I’m going to get hollered at for blocking the road while I’m gawking at this house.” But instead, he said to me “You interested in that house? Old Dr. Berry died, and I think they’re going to be selling it. I think they’re there today, just let me run in and see if they mind talking to you.”
Well, sure enough, Dr. Berry’s son (who I hadn’t seen since I was about 6 years old) and a family friend were there cleaning out the place. They had a dumpster out front, and when the boys and I went inside, there was so much junk piled everywhere, that there was only a path through the kitchen and living room, and you had to duck around to walk through! It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned well in about 20 years (there were still bits of streamers and masking tape stuck to the wall from a birthday party years earlier), and there were plenty of things that needed fixing or updating.
We chatted for a while. The boys found an old lacrosse stick that they were told they could keep, and then they trotted upstairs, where they found the built-in log bunk beds! Little boy heaven! As we were leaving, I gave Dr. Berry’s son my business card and told him that, although I knew it would be some time before he was ready, to please call me because I was interested in the house.
Much to my surprise, I had a message from the attorney for the estate on my answering machine when I got home. He thought I was totally crazy for wanting to buy that old cabin. I made plans to come out to the house with a home inspector (to make sure I wasn’t getting into anything more than I could handle) the following Saturday. When we got there, the house was completely cleaned out, and there was a box in the corner with my name on it, and all the owner’s manuals for various household appliances inside!
To make a long story short, there were other people (with more money) interested in the house, but the son wasn’t interested in selling the place to anyone but me and the boys. I made an offer that was accepted (no realtor involved), and had the keys to the house a month before we made settlement, so I could spend weekends there getting things ready for the big move.
On Wednesday, we’ll have been here for 5 wonderful years, and I still get that warm fuzzy feeling every time I pull in the driveway, knowing that I’m truly home where I belong.
That’s my happy story. Please share your happy stories, big or small.
to everyone who gave me “pretty ox” advice on the open thread this afternoon!
“pretty box”…preview is my friend, preview is my friend…
I was having a hard time envisioning a pretty ox – I mean, I love all kinds of animals, but oxen aren’t usually described as “pretty.” Although they could be. I was hoping for a picture of your pretty ox that you keep behind your cabin. Oh well.
No ox, but pretty chickenswith feathery feet…buff brahmas and blue cochins.
Pretty ox.
Nice ox, baby!
My “girls”:
but I’ve got a very lovely Yak:
Yak, yak, yak. It’s like everybody is chicken to be serious.
Carry on.
A pretty french ox:
They are pretty…time to pack up my cabin and take it to France!
thank you.
Well lady, your angels were watching out for you, and led you down the right road, to what you can always feel as “home”
Not just a house, a place to be, there is a great diference, for you are “Home”
What a wonderful story, for you truly are living your dream. Congrats ; )
Yeah, for some reason I always feel like I’m pretty lucky.
Speaking of happy stories and angels, how is your Sunrise kitty doing?
Sunny is master of the domain. She sets on my shoulder while I’m on the computer, and wants to type badly, but I told her she must wait until she finishes typing class. Even spell check can’t help her. ; )
As for the mouse, well, she’s tried to catch it a few times, and really loves to chase the cursor on the screen. Quite the high tech kitty.
A few days later, I aquired a stray pup, and his name is Ol’ Yellar, looks just like the one from the movie, only a baby, anyway, she will not allow him in the house, (it’s her domain) but they do okay, with him on the outside, and her ruling the roost. ; )
Both doing well, and go to the vet on Monday, the pups first, Sunny’s second check up.
Thanks for the inquiry.
A guest host here and a guest host tonight on DailyKos: I could get used to this. :^)
You told a wonderful story.
My happy story occurred tonight.
I’ve got a crack in the hot water line to the shower. That’s not the happy part.
So I got together with my electrician buddy and he told me what we need to fix it this weekend.
So Ms. Carnacki and I took the girls to Lowes to buy plumbing supplies and we went over the parts we need to build the treehouse that the oldest so thoughtful sketched out her architectural design for with crayon and paper. (You should see the design: trampoline with net on the roof of the tree house, a trap to drop boys into, a dumb waiter, an escape slide — they’re not getting the trampoline).
Fortunately I’m a big believer in shut off valves in zoned areas so I can turn the water off and on in the basement to keep it from running to the leak all the time.
After we bought our pipe and fittings and valves (we’re taking it down to the galvanized and running the pipe anew rather than just replacing the cracked area — long story) we took the girls swimming at the fitness club. Our county doesn’t have a YMCA, but Ms. Carnacki wanted a membership for her birthday so we took the girls swimming. They splashed and had fun and all that time I didn’t think once how I need a new clutch for the riding mower, but that repair is going to have to wait until another day.
So that’s my happy story this evening.
Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the evening, plumbing issues not withstanding (I have lovely “old house” stories about plumbing myself). I think your oldest sounds like a very creative young lady, with her trampolines and boy traps!
I think some of the happiest times I can remember were times I spent with family, not necessarily doing anything amazing. Last weekend we cleaned up the yard and threw the lacrosse ball around for awhile, and we all thought it was the perfect day.
Enjoy your weekend!
The vegetable garden is thriving. I planted one at this house 20+ years ago when we first moved in, but a beautiful oak tree in my neighbor’s yard grew so much that it shaded my garden out of existence.
My super-cool daughter tilled a big patch for me in a sunny spot, and I now have a community garden in collaboration with my sort-of-ex husband and my ex-boyfriend (who are, btw, best friends of each other).
(digging out bermuda grass and mulching – surrounded by tomatoes)
And I had a work meeting that only lasted 15 minutes!
And Welshman posted a link to the infamous “Dogs in Elk” story and a great one about Sally the Psycho dog, involving a duck over at Carnacki’s Chills and Thrills. Both of which you absolutely must go read, if you haven’t done that already.
Your garden looks like it’s off to a great start! We just started having spring weather up here, so I’m a little envious of those big tomato plants you have in the ground.
I laughed until I cried at Welshman’s stories last night. If anyone else hasn’t read them, you must! But not while eating or drinking…
That’s a great, great story. You see, there is justice in the world.
We’ve lost two houses in our life because of financial issues. Basically we just had to walk away from them. When we moved to Seattle the housing market and our job circumstances were such that I was pretty much resigned to living in an apartment for the rest of our lives.
To make a long story slightly less long, seven years after we moved here we bought a house from an older friend of ours. It was a real sweetheart deal — she basically charged us the minimum propriety and the law would allow, and carried the payments herself with no interest. She gets to live in her house for the rest of her life without worrying that the government will take it for taxes or something, and gets some money to supplement her pension. We get a house when her will comes due and have the satisfaction of knowing that we’re helping a friend while letting her maintain her dignity and independence.
The only real drawback is that in the meantime we pay rent and the house payment. That’s OK. We’d rather pay double and have her stick around for a while. We’re not in that big a hurry to move into the house.
OMIR, I love your happy stories. It sounds like the people in your life are very lucky to know you.
I know exactly how you feel, as I once nearly bought a house, but was shocked and saddened when the contract feel through due to a water leak that took out half the ceilings and ruined the hardwoods before the purchase was complete. That doesn’t sound very happy, does it?
Well, after that house fell through (literally and figuratively), I found another house in the same lovely neighborhood, a neighborhood full of trees and just 10 minutes from downtown. This house had large rooms, beautiful hardwoods, a fabulous porch spanning the front of the entire upstairs (perfect for parties!) and French doors facing out onto that porch from each of the 2 bedrooms and the hallway. It is a quaint place, with a rounded wall in the living room and a funny little kitchen.
It isn’t a big house, but it is just big enough for me and my 2 dogs, who love to mill about on the porch, wandering in from time to time to see me at my desk. From my desk, I can look out onto the porch, with its hanging baskets and lovely view of the now-bursting with green trees on my street. I am happy here and–even through the ups and downs of this old house–am grateful that the other one didn’t work out.
I’m glad for you and your sons that you found your wonderful place. Major snaps go out as well to Dr. Berry’s son, who clearly is a special person!
Sounds like it was a good thing your first house deal fell through- your place sounds wonderful.
And yes, Dr. Berry’s son definitely deserves a “4” for his part in our happiness here.