Alice and Harold, Helen and Leo

The 1940's and 1950's. The American dream. Harold and Leo were Machinists. Alice and Helen "housewives". Harold and Leo made decent money for those days. Skilled and in demand. They bought "nice" houses for Alice and Helen to "keep" on opposite sides of the state.

Alice and Helen had clothes lines where the laundry dried in the breeze. They had plywood kitchen cupboards, tiled baths, and hardwood floors underfoot. The probably both had dust mops. Both "modernized" their bathroom sometime around the late 60's with a vanity.

Harold had a driveway poured, but never got around to building a garage. Leo never got around to the driveway, but had enough garage for 5 cars! Both Harold and Leo took care of things around the house the way a machinist would--- not at all the approach a carpenter would have had. Fortunately, both restricted these activities to areas where it doesn't matter. Thank you, Alice and Helen for making sure.

Alice died before Harold. Harold did nothing to the house..not even vacuum apparently...for years. 1 bought it from Harold. He left behind Alices "special" dresses--too grief stricken, or just to lazy to deal with them. We (really) shoveled the dirt out of the house that had accumulated under the carpet in the years since she stopped vacuuming.

Helen and Leo had more time. Both lived into their 90's. 4 bought their house from "the estate". If they had dirt under their carpets, we will never know, as the carpet had already been removed, but I somehow doubt it. Leo predeceased Helen. She probably continued to vacuum.

Somehow I have managed to raise two independent strong women. I am very proud of them. 1 and 4 both have homes of their own. Independently, their own achievement. They both bought homes from elderly couples who had lived in them a long time. They both have solid, good houses. Along the way, they are also learning to appreciate the history and charm of period homes.

4 has a coal bin, well pit and fruit cellar. Of course she did not know what they were, and even I was a little unsure. 1 has knotty pine and a grotto--basement finishing method of choice in the 50's. Both have unfinished attic space waiting to be turned into living space. Both (now) have day lilies. Both now know how to change out a lockset. Both have tool boxes.

I hope that Alice and Helen and Leo would have liked what 1 and 4 they are doing with their homes...Not that it matters. (I am sure Harold could care less.) But I think they would. I am so impressed.