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Project Discussions:  A fun question  |
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
3457 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
3457 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 10:29:00 AM
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Last week, I finished reading my first book titled Mill Read: Changes at Fairacre. There are a lunch of these stores by English author J.S. Goodall. It was such an easy and fun read about this unmarried school teacher who lives in a small English village and lives in the cottage provided to her by the school. In this particular book, Miss Read inherits a small cottage which is in a close by village. It was given to her from a colleague teacher and long time friend. After she moved into her new home, there were some important upgrades that had to be done as well as a complete do over of the cottage garden. One day when a friend asked her how life was progressing at her new cottage, Miss Read replied that she very much enjoyed her new home and she felt it had a sense of happiness, simplicity, courage, and order.
This statement struck a cord with me for some reason and got me to thinking about my own home that I have lived in since 1984. To me, it does have a sense of happiness and order but I wonder about the simplicity and courage . What does that mean for a home and how does one measure that? I still have no answers so I am putting this out to you all to see what and how you feel about your house? And, what does a home with courage and simplicity actually refer to? How do these two traits mesh with happiness and order?
I would love to hear your ideas and have any of you read any of the Miss Read series? |
Winnie Nielsen #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Girl of the Year 2014-2015 |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9224 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 11:08:17 AM
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Winnie,
So funny you should bring up this series and just ran across my Miss Read books to pack them. It has been a very long time since I've read them.
I can relate to the happiness, simplicity and order but courage? I don't know. |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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quiltee
True Blue Farmgirl
4642 Posts
Linda
Terrell
TX
USA
4642 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 11:46:21 AM
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| I checked my library and they have none of them. Boo hoo! |
Linda B
quiltee
Farmgirl #1919
FGOTM for August, 2015 and April, 2017
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
3457 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
3457 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 4:18:27 PM
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Linda, I bet your local library might have a few . I found mine second hand on Amazon.
Denise, do you have all of the books? They are so fun to read and I hope to keep finding a copy here and there. |
Winnie Nielsen #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Girl of the Year 2014-2015 |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9224 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 4:27:18 PM
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| I don't have all of them Winnie. But I keep my eyes open. |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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sweettea59
True Blue Farmgirl
1247 Posts
Sherry
Longview
Texas
USA
1247 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2021 : 6:12:27 PM
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| Hi Winnie, what a great question. I have not read this series of books but you have got my interest. But for my house, we have lived here for 39 years. It's not the perfect home but it is ours. It has a lot of love in it. I raised my girls here and it the place they want to come to when we have family gathering. Thanks for asking and making me think of my home. And looking at it through different eyes. |
Farmgirl Hugs & May all your Wishes come true.
Sherry
Farmgirl #2215 |
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debbieklann
True Blue Farmgirl
2642 Posts
Debbie
Madras
OR
USA
2642 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2021 : 4:35:46 PM
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Winnie, those books sound interesting and fun. I am going to have to keep my eye out for them.
I can follow Miss Read's idea for happiness, simplicity and order. I have been thinking on the courage idea. I can only wonder if it is courage to live as you want, what is right for you and your family?
We live in the house that my husband grew up in. Except for college and a couple of years of living on his own, he has lived here his whole life. When his parents retired and decided to move into town, we moved in here. Our oldest child was just a baby, only 4 months old at the time. So both of our kids lived here their entire growing up years.
We joke about the different "phases" of our house. There's the "original" part of the house. Then the addition when my husband was in middle school. When our kids were in elementary school, we put on an addition with a new dining room, master bedroom and bathroom. We thought that the new roof line would blend in with the rest of the house...it did not. haha It sort of sticks up like a tower. We jokingly call it the "west wing".
The living room still has paneling....because "it's real wood paneling!" haha Each part of the house has it's own trim, fixtures, etc. I don't know if anyone would really notice. But it's home to us. It's where I am happy to be. It's cozy. People have said that it's peaceful and homey. And that's what matters. |
Debbie Klann
Farmgirl Sister #770
2018 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
January 2020 FGOTM
"Well behaved women seldom make history"...
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich |
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quiltee
True Blue Farmgirl
4642 Posts
Linda
Terrell
TX
USA
4642 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2021 : 7:21:03 PM
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| My library has none of them and even Half Price Books on line shows none of them. They must be pretty rare - on Amazon they are all over $15.00 each. Some are over $50. |
Linda B
quiltee
Farmgirl #1919
FGOTM for August, 2015 and April, 2017
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Edited by - quiltee on Apr 07 2021 7:22:58 PM |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9224 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2021 : 04:09:54 AM
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| Linda, yes they are hard to find unless you happen upon them at a thrift or something. |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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TexasGran
True Blue Farmgirl
5777 Posts
Marilyn
Stephenville
Texas
USA
5777 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2021 : 05:58:22 AM
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Our home was built in 1950, by a couple with three kids, younger than ten.
He remodeled houses, or fixed them when they had a problem. They built the original part, and adjusted by enclosing two porches. Lastly they added a third bathroom.
When they were here, yes the house was happy, simple and very orderly. They lived very Simply.
Their eldest daughter had problems...shaking in her head and voice. Their son, who was my age was retarded. That was how they kept him busy...and the out side so clean. To keep him busy...every day he swept the little side walks, swept down any cobwebs, wasp nests, etc.
The youngest daughter was normal, and a school teacher. She never married. She knew she had the responsibility of Caring for her two siblings and her parents as they aged. The two girls had created a beautiful yard...
We have lived here thirty years. Our house has love, But the simplicity and order are two things I'm working on...the trash trailer is in the drive way again.
Our home has courage! It is old, but strong, like the mighty oaks that surround it. When the huge old pecan tree fell on the gable end, the house shuddered but was so courageous by protecting us as we slept inside. There was very minimal damage to the house. Just lots of work that God and our family took care of that Sunday.
Because the man who built this house, remodeled others , the doors are all left overs from other homes. A couple of the windows are wooden but the others are aluminum. It had carpet...but I pulled that up after two years.
I'm so slow, now, it may take me months to make order again. But I am working on it. There is hope...always.
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Texasgran |
Edited by - TexasGran on Apr 08 2021 06:25:15 AM |
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
3457 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
3457 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2021 : 2:27:50 PM
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Marilyn, this is a wonderful story about your home and how it has served two families with courage and stability!! The fact that is was built by hand and full of interesting items like doors from other homes and two nice porches to enjoy adds to its charm. I know my own house had changes made to it by the previous two owners before us. Over the past 35 years, we have made many changes too as things broke or needed replacement. I will say this house is a very basic design of ranch style concrete brick. It is a 3Bedroom/2 Bath. The original builder did, however, build his houses sturdy and ready to house all kinds and ages. For that quality, this house was a good place to raise a family. The other part of this home is that they saved a lot of beautiful trees on our lot as well as in the neighborhood. We have many big shady trees in our neighborhood and I really love that trait.
It occurs to me that many of us are feeling the desire to organize our homes now to make them easier to take care of as we age. I feel like my past 5 years of sorting and figuring out "Stuff" that was filling closets and storage areas has helped me make it easier to keep clean and find what I want and need. There is still more to do, but I have learned ,as I have found it easier to determine what matters most, my house has a new feel about it. When we bought this place, we had lived in a house that was half the square footage. This place seemed to big and empty. What was amazing was how much we filled it up over all those years here. When I retired, I knew it was time to address the amassed "stuff"! |
Winnie Nielsen #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Girl of the Year 2014-2015 |
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levisgrammy
Scattered Prairie Hen Honcho
9224 Posts
Denise
Ohio
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2021 : 2:47:11 PM
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This move has taught me a lot about what we do and do not need in order to be in a place of peace and contentment.
I am making a list of furniture we will be taking and the rest will be getting donated. Very freeing to know we don't need to keep everything. |
Denise~~
Sister #43
"I am a bookaholic with no desire to be cured."
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105
www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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Project Discussions: A fun question |
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A fun question
