Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Tuesday 4: Home is where the 💛 is

 


Good morning,

We've another doctor's appointment later this morning to see if Tom's a candidate for hip replacement  ... 
but their offices aren't far, and the Tuesday 4's calling me to come play.

Let's do this!


Toni asks --

What do you think of this picture ... the staircase.  Do you like how it looks?  Does it say "home" to you?  Would you like something that looks like this?



I'm not especially fond of the floral wallpaper or runner ..... but strangely it works!

I want to grab ahold of that rich wood railing and learn what's waiting up above.  Perhaps a pair of low-ceiling bedrooms like those at my grandparent's farm house -- one with a metal grid concealed beneath a throw rug which, once uncovered, allowed a curious girl to kneel and eavesdrop on the adults' conversations below.

In contrast, this is the staircase in my childhood home.  (I lifted this image from an old real estate listing.) 


Just on the other side of those paper-thin walls, the little boys I used to babysit would ride up and down those steps on their backside shrieking happily -- and loudly.  (But I digress ....)

I love multi-story residences, but given the condition of our hips and knees, that's not so practical anymore.






Did you love growing up in your family home?  Could you live in a house like that today?

I don't remember ever loving it -- or not.  Not until my mid-teens when a "real homes" community began development off the "Hill."

With my little Pepper dog in front of our Unit B

Government housing was the norm.  Today I smile at the song lyric, "... and they're all made out of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same."

Blame it all on my roots ...
I love the idea of living in another tiny (1,034 sq. ft) residence -- less to clean or pay to heat and cool!







What did you bedroom look like when you were a teen? 

More 'steals' lifted from Realtor.com.
This is my 9' x 7' bedroom, once with pale yellow walls and crisp white cafe curtains that my mother sewed.

Because mother disliked overhead lighting, I'd a little table lamp on the dresser.  Probably a horse statuette or two.
 

More than 50 years later, the view's still the same.

I'd a dresser under that window that looked like this
One could switch the colored panels to suit one's own taste

 ..... and there in the corner stood one of these





What kind of vibes or atmosphere do you like to foster in your home today?  Sophisticated? Homey?

We're all about 'homey'  -- comfortable, with a touch of rustic ..... peppered not with objects d'art but those things with stories to tell. 

Not sure what this says about me, but having watched endless episodes of HGTV (House Hunters, etc.), I'm decidedly on Team "Before."
How about you?


🪴


Thanks to Annie and friends for allowing me a brief sentimental journey.
You, too, can play along (click here).

We've come a long way, baby!

Hugs, Myra










30 comments:

  1. oh my goodness! I had not thought about looking on zillow for my childhood home. I just did and it looks so pitiful. I need to write about then and now. Your post gave me a great idea! I hope the doctor's appointment goes well!! I don't remember ever seeing a TV like that one. Was your dad in the military? You said y'all lived in government housing.

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    1. Before I was born, yes to Navy service. While living in Los Alamos (NM) he worked security for the Atomic Energy Commission. (Remember the movie, Oppenheimer?)

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  2. This is so neat how you were able to grab photos from your home that you grew up in. In my mind, I can see every detail of my childhood home....even down to my bedspread and curtains. lol. My senior year in HS, dad began building our new home and it was completed just in time for me to live there about 4 months before Sam and I got married. I felt a little cheated because the new home was so awesome!! I sure love old memories. Hope the appointment goes well and in favor of exactly what is best for Tom....

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    1. You father built your home? That's so neat! Thank you so much for the well wishes!

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  3. When I was a child we moved around a lot, different houses in the same city. My dad flipped houses and we lived in them while he remodeled them. I never had a favorite home until I got married. It was an older home and had stairs in the center. I loved that house. We had the kids sit on their bottoms and scoot down when they were little. When they got older, they got more adventurous, but no one ever got hurt. We had 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, perfect for a large family. One of the bedrooms was on the third floor and it had its own bathroom. After the children got older, My husband and I choose that room for our own. I moved a few times after that but didn't like any of them as well. I now live far from home and miss it but the winters are too cold there! Like you say, home is where the heart is and I loves Texas! Love, ma

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    1. Gosh, your dad was HGTV cool before HGTV was cool! I love the sound of your big home and the wonderful memories you have.

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  4. I don't mind a runner on the stairs or the wallpaper - - but I don't like the floral pattern. It's way too much.
    My bedroom when I was a teen?
    A cluttered hodgepodge. Books, books, a small antique desk. A bust of Beethoven. Posters - - a poster of Marilyn Monroe from "Bus Stop" - several psychedelic posters, one of Malibu Beach. A record player....lots of LPs.
    The atmosphere in my home today is traditional, homey. I hate anything modern...

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    1. I wasn't allowed any posters ... but someone gifted me a bust of Beethoven that sat on my piano. Both of which I loathed (lol).

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  5. I too have checked out previous homes on Zillow. Same with my grandma’s house. I don’t like the wallpaper or the carpet. To me it makes me think of more dust and smells. It looks homey but not my style. It would look better with the wood floors and plain walls. The wood bannister is beautiful.
    I enjoyed this post! Hope the doctor’s appointments go well.

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  6. It's a little busy for me but the staircase is pretty. That was a long and narrow stairway in your childhood home. I do think that living in a one story house, which we have for 18 years now, can actually hurt us in some ways buy not using our legs for the stairs. Cute picture of you with Pepper. I shared a room with my sister. It was okay. Yes, homey is very nice.

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    1. I wish I'd a dollar for every time I scrubbed those stairs for my weekly allowance 😄

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  7. Cozy and homey with a touch of rustic is how I like our house to feel. Sadly, the home in which I grew up is no longer there; while my parents were still with us, the neighborhood was bought out by a big developer. They did get a fair deal for the property and were able to purchase a home in Oxford, GA. Anyway, I truly understand what it means to not being able to go home again. Blessings, Myra!

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    1. I imagine you and Danny have done just that -- cozy and homey!

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  8. A nice trip down memory lane when we look back at the houses we once lived in. I loved the one storey bungalow with a large garden all round it.

    Praying for Tom's good health, and yours too. God bless you all.

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    1. Thank you so much, Victor. Prayers valued!

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  9. I always liked the homes I grew up in. Mom and Dad were great decorators and could make the most mundane look elegant.
    When we moved to a newer home in my 7th grade it was wonderful. My folks let me decide how I wanted my room and I got new maple furniture and fluffy crisp curtains. I had an antique desk and my faithful record player that played all my favorite 50's music. I loved it.
    I call our home now our Forever Home and just love it being one story with room to move and have my own space (office) and Dave has his for
    doing what we want to. Of course that big back yard is more daunting than it used to be 18 years ago, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
    I do hope your appointment with Tom goes well and he can have that hip replacement. Prayers for the best decisions and results.
    Sue

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    1. Being an 'only' child had its perks, didn't it? I still love 50's tunes.

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  10. Our apartment is 1000 sq feet and we love it. Plenty of space for the two of us and essentially maintenance free. Prayers for Tom and his hip.

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    1. Yes, that sounds perfect ... complemented by the best of Mother Nature.

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  11. Good luck - I was glad to get a new hip! I hope Tom gets it. Those flowers - wallpaper - does remind me of a little comfort of the past.
    I wish we had a place without steps - next move for sure.

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  12. Wow... you had your own TV!! No stairs for me anymore, that's for sure. A fun walk down memory lane today! xo

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    1. The TV was a hand-me-down, but I sort of regret selling it years later in a garage sale.

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  13. Wallpaper I can live with but the stairs would have to be avoided. I prefer flat surfaces now. LOL I hope Tom does well with the hip replacement, or, better still, heals and doesn't need it. ❤️

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    1. Thank you! Unfortunately, the doc says Tom's 'tread' is all gone ... next step surgery (tbd).

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  14. Both the wallpaper and the runner are too much for me. i like neutral walls with lots of art hanging.
    I hope Tom's appointment went well.

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  15. How blessed you are with these photos. My childhood home trashed by this so called teacher who my brother sold the house to. It is very sad. They have removed anything resembling a home and turned it into a pit! I am always going to be broken over that cause dad built that home. I sure love that you have so many photos to share. Love & Hugs. Hope Tom gets some answers on his hip.

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  16. I enjoyed the answers you shared. Last year I went down a rabbit trail trying to find public pics of my old house in Ohio...I couldn't really find any. When I went to visit my aunts last year, we went on a drive and visited most everyone's houses. Kind of crazy. The one I grew up in was very run down.

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  17. Love all your photos! Someone else was organizing her photos. I need help with all things technology. We are headed to Top Golf on Sunday. I prefer tea parties and such but everyone loves to play so we will enjoy the company of all the kids except Hannah & her little phamily.

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Thanks so much for taking time to visit. Your comments mean the world to me!