Last week we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary, which made me think about all of the houses we have lived in over the years. From the beginning, we have been nesters - always working on our homes -- gallons of paint, yards of curtain fabric, etc.
Our first apartment -- we were newly-married teenagers, in college, and no money. We rented this furnished basement apartment for $45 a month. We scrubbed the two rooms; I made new curtains; and then instead of a honeymoon with our wedding money we bought our first automatic washing machine (we didn't own another stick of furniture). We were proud of our first nest even though it really was a dark little dump.
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| September 1958 - February 1959 |
We then moved to this nicer basement apartment closer to campus. I made more curtains for tiny little basement windows.
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| February 1959 - June 1961 |
After graduation, we moved to Denver and a second floor apartment - no more basements. These metal kitchen cabinets were the turquoise color popular in the 1960s.
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| June 1961 - January 1962 |
We tired quickly of second floor living and moved to a duplex where we could again have our own washing machine. I made more curtains.
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| January 1962 - November 1962 |
Our dream finally came true to buy our first house. We bought this cute little house with the smallest kitchen in the world on a half acre in Lakewood, Colorado. What fun we had -- painting, refinishing floors, making more curtains, and having our first garden. Remember these portable dishwashers?
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| November 1962 - November 1964 |
Grad school was beckoning, so we sadly sold our first house, moved back to Ft. Collins, Colorado, and bought this little house for $12,500. I can't believe that we painted these kitchen cabinets pinky-orange. I made white dotted-swiss curtains -- it really did turn out charming!
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| November 1964 - December 1966 |
After graduation (again), we took a job in Sidney, Montana. We couldn't find anything to buy, so we rented this house for nine months (I made more kitchen curtains).
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| December 1966 - September 1967 |
We were expecting our first child, and finally found this house to buy. It had the world's second smallest kitchen. We became a family of three here.
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| September 1967 - November 1971 |
But, oh, how I missed Colorado. A job opportunity presented itself to move back to our hometown of Rocky Ford, Colorado. Along with the job of City Engineer came the benefit of living in the city house by the water plant rent free. It was a lovely old house built in 1899. We tried to buy it as we missed owning our own house, but the city declined. We became a family of four in this house.
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| November 1971 - December 1973 |
The urge to own our own house again was strong, so we built this new house and included a built-in dishwasher.
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| December 1973 - April 1976 |
Finally the city decided to sell the 'house on the hill' to us for $25,000. We sold our new house and moved back to the old house -- who does that?????? -- leaving a brand new kitchen for a tiny remuddled 1940's kitchen. (Which I had found impossible the first time we lived in this house.) We had to buy a portable dishwasher again!
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| April 1976 - March 1980 |
And, the work began. Bob began stripping the paint off the woodwork - there were eleven doors and windows in the living room alone. The house had a total of 61 windows -- we added wood shutters to several windows, but I also made lots and lots of curtains.
Once again a new job opportunity called us to move. We sold the 'old house on the hill' for twice what we had paid for it and we bought this tri-level in Canon City, Colorado. We lived in this house 10 years; and I still couldn't find a single picture of the kitchen after we changed out the avocado appliances and painted the dark kitchen cupboards a pretty blue.
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| March 1980 - February 1990 |
All of a sudden we had an empty nest, and we were yearning for another old house to work on. This house deserves a post of its own - I have so many good before and after pictures of all of the work we did on this house. However, all of the ladder work and the stairs finally got to me; I had both hips replaced while living here.
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| February 1990 - November 1997 |
The bungalow sold quickly and we bought what has become our forever house. I've never lived in a house for this long my entire life; but it has become the perfect retirement house. After 56 years, we're still nesting big time -- always coming up with new projects. We renovated the kitchen last winter, and Bob just finished painting the screened-in porch floor this last week! He's the handy, energetic one - he can put the paint on or he can take it off - I'm lucky as all I have to do is ask!!!!
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| November 1997 - Forever |
Each one of these homes hold special memories from different stages of our lives.
I've always loved moving, and every move was made with great anticipation; but we are really quite content now right here in our forever house.
I'm joining the following:
