Some months back a good friend who has never been to Sawyerville expressed curiosity about my house. She wanted to know what it was like inside so that she could better imagine me going about my daily activities. Having recently had most of the inside rooms repainted and some furniture moved to other locations or even out of the house, it was a good time to document.
Above you can see how the house sits on its one-acre lot, with the other three acres of woodland to the east and the south. That concrete walk points at the North Star. Those boxwoods have been removed: they encroached too much on the walk, and if ever emergency workers have to remove me by stretcher, they would have interfered. Those azaleas are still there, although the one on the far left is pretty tired now. The two holly bushes on the chimney-side I used to trim as rounded balls: now I am encouraging them to grow tall, like trees, and I find the twisted trunks most attractive. That yew tree on the right is about ten years younger than I: it was purchased, along with many other plants in the yard, by my mother from money she made taking school census one year. That chimney has been closed off since the early 1950s, when my parents enlarged the house from a two-bedroom to a four-bedroom structure: initially the smaller house I first knew centered directly behind that first smaller gable point. That screened-in front porch used to be a special joy, but about twelve years ago it was turned over to the cats Catalina and Sibling and later Kitty Witty: they never kept it very neat, nor does survivor Sibling now, so we won't take a close look at it. (There are some pictures available in the five blog posts dealing with Roscoe, however, and if you are curious, plug his name into the search box.)
We'lll start our tour in the living room.
Above you can see how the house sits on its one-acre lot, with the other three acres of woodland to the east and the south. That concrete walk points at the North Star. Those boxwoods have been removed: they encroached too much on the walk, and if ever emergency workers have to remove me by stretcher, they would have interfered. Those azaleas are still there, although the one on the far left is pretty tired now. The two holly bushes on the chimney-side I used to trim as rounded balls: now I am encouraging them to grow tall, like trees, and I find the twisted trunks most attractive. That yew tree on the right is about ten years younger than I: it was purchased, along with many other plants in the yard, by my mother from money she made taking school census one year. That chimney has been closed off since the early 1950s, when my parents enlarged the house from a two-bedroom to a four-bedroom structure: initially the smaller house I first knew centered directly behind that first smaller gable point. That screened-in front porch used to be a special joy, but about twelve years ago it was turned over to the cats Catalina and Sibling and later Kitty Witty: they never kept it very neat, nor does survivor Sibling now, so we won't take a close look at it. (There are some pictures available in the five blog posts dealing with Roscoe, however, and if you are curious, plug his name into the search box.)
We'lll start our tour in the living room.
View from NE corner of living room. The rose-colored recliner belonged to Tom's sister Norma, as did the bookcase behind it. Both were moved from Pine Valley Retirement Center in Tuscaloosa to our house after her death in 2000. The recliner has been replaced: it finally expired after I had to spend three weeks sleeping on it during a hip-pain unpleasantness early in 2012. The Eames chair, the parsons table behind it, the coffee table, the couch, and the square table on which the lighted lamp stands moved down from New York with Tom. The brown Walmart curtains are there to darken the room for daytime movie viewing. The large black furnace is only three winters old: propane, gas logs, pilot light, thermostat. Really keeps the place warm. It stands in front of an old-fashioned (well, 1950s) fireplace insert heater that went bad, and it seemed like the thing to do was to simply leave it in place rather than having to brick up the opening. The brick mantel behind it has been painted the same color as the walls: looks better in real life. The oval mirror was my mother's. When I was a child, heat came from the coal-burning fireplace in the living room, and there was no heat in the dining room you see through the large opening. In cold weather a heavy maroon drapery hung there to keep the heat in the living room. Now you can see the 3-burner propane heater in the dining room, but only rarely do I have to turn it on. Just beyond it is the large air conditioner that keeps both rooms cool in summer.
Ah, my pride and joy, the HDTV! Now, because of my macular degeneration, it has been moved forward and squared off facing the recliner from which I watch, the recliner itself having also been moved forward to reduce the distance. The closer the better, with my eye condition, and the HiDef image makes that possible. The wall-mounted figurines behind the TV were moved down from Tom's New York apartment. The door to the porch would be just to the right of the photo.
Dining room looking toward living room. The credenza on the right had moved with Norma from Las Cruces to Tuscaloosa, and later down to Sawyerville. The china cabinet in the right corner is possibly the oldest piece in the house: I cannot remember a time when it was not in the dining room. Not fine furniture, but useful. The small hutch on the left is also functional rather than fine. The little black box on top of it holds my mother's recipes: I stuck it there to get it out of the way and liked it and left it. Above it is a framed original abstract photograph of Richard Gere taken by Herb Ritts during Tom's days on The Cotton Club: it is signed by Ritts on the back and presented to Tom by Ritts and may be the only copy.
From dining room looking though living room to front door. The round table used to be in the dining area off the kitchen that used to be back porch. It can seat 8. A square table in the center of the kitchen could also be enlarged to seat 8. The old fine dining room table, now gone from the house, could seat 8 comfortable and 10 in a slight pinch. I can remember family feasts, usually at Thanksgiving, when every seat at all 3 tables would be taken. If you ever hear of me attempting anything like that, it will be stand-up with plastic cups and finger food! Surely I have the wisdom not to go beyond 8. If I do, it's a sign I need to be put down.
View from living room through dining room to kitchen. The two hutches moved down from New York with Tom. The bottom cabinet on the left is my wine cellar. The 3 drawers at the base of the one on the right hold tablecloths. Hard liquor (Scotch, gin, vodka, sherry and Marsala for cooking) are housed in the right end of the credenza on the left, and the larger drawers in the center of it hold the bigger tablecloths. The table, usually set up as round like so, is pushed to the right, closer to the windows, to make more space in the middle of the room. I have learned to love empty space in my house. I have also learned, living alone as I do now, that the only one I have to please is myself.
Just inside kitchen, looking toward "back porch." To the left of the gas oven is the big old (1950s, again) kitchen double sink with cabinets down each side and storage underneath. To the left of that is my propane hot water heater, in the corner. The tile floors were put laid down in early 2006: the floor was uneven from settling over the years and the old lineoleum looked awful. My contractor suggested tile as a better way to cope with that unevenness. Seeing how well this looked with more open space was a major motivator of ridding the house of two then-redundant tables. Cookbooks, Mason jars of catfood, and my onions are housed in that 2-tiered bookcase you see this side of the big leather armchair. The windows down the right wall now remain closed all the time, once the old screens on the outside decayed. They look out onto the patio and driveway. The 2 windows on the far end on either side of the no-longer-used fireplace (why bother, since I rarely sit back here) are usually kept closed with the curtains drawn. The carpeting that covers the far end of this space is useful in helping keep some of the yard trackings off the tile. (Once upon a time the rear wall of the house was where the counter is now. When the area beyond was added in the early 1950s, a wise decision was made to keep the space as open as possible.)
Looking back at kitchen from near the back door. That cabinet in the far right kitchen corner is probably as old as I am, as is the other cabinet between it and the door. I don't remember the house without them. The cabinet space under the counter is filled with lesser-used items, and the wall on the right above the back porch double sink (washer on left thereof, dryer on right) is lined with cabinets mostly filled with canned goods (including jellies and salad dressings), pasta, and spices with a few little-used items on the top shelves.
Hallway looking north to door from living room. The house in its earlier incarnation had no hallway: rooms opened directly into other rooms. When the house was widened to permit 2 additional bedrooms, room was made for a hallway with my parents', my sister's, and my bedrooms on the right. The door to the kitchen is just beyond the wardrobe (where I keep sheets). This big hallway also served as a playroom for us kids once upon a time.
Hallway looking south to small bathroom at the end. There is a great view of the back yard and the gingko tree at the end. A sink, a toilet, and a tub-shower (which is in my mind to replace with a smaller shower, but this has very low priority right now).The door to the other bathroom is directly across from the chest of drawers beyond the bookcases on the right.
There used to be a 1950's pink bathtub under that window. Tom liked a tub bath, but when he was about 80 he no longer felt comfortable stepping across the side into the tub. For the next three years he bathed by standing at that sink on the right. When we were having some painting done and the kitchen flooring replaced in early 2006, the contractor suggested building this walk-in shower with a bench to sit on behind the sliding door on the right. He loved it, those last couple of years before his death. The darker tile is also used for the lower side walls of the room and the floor as well, with a darker grout used between the tiles on the floor. The walls are painted a bold yellow.
Looking into the office from the hall. The big bathroom is the next door to the right. Now the computer is aganst the right wall, the printer to the left of the monitor, and it is centered parallel to the back wall. I have a new leather desk chair now.
Originally this was my parents' bedroom. We made it into an office for Tom, and now it is mine. I spend much time here.
Originally this was my parents' bedroom. We made it into an office for Tom, and now it is mine. I spend much time here.
Desk from NW corner of the room. Great seeing it so neat. This is not normally the case, I must confess.
The windows look down the hillside to the east and the woods beyond. My wildflower garden (mostly Black-eyed Susans and goldenrod) and the large camellia bush are in my view when sitting at my desk. The door you see is into the office closet. This room being on the east side of the house and the closet being backed by a brick chimney on the left giving additional support, I can use the closet as a hidey-hole during a tornado. I haven't done so yet: I'm too tempted to stay out and watch.
The 2 stacked cases holding CDs have now been moved into a bookcase in the living room.
The 2 stacked cases holding CDs have now been moved into a bookcase in the living room.
This was the family bedroom when I was a small child, and that fireplace was on the center of that wall. The chimney which served this room and the guest bedroom beyond the wall then protruded through the roof. When the house was widened to the right, the fireplace slid toward the left corner and the upper part of the chimney removed. The post office desk is even older than I am, already being old when I was a child playing in the PO while my father cased mail. You'll notice that desk clutter is starting to accumulate.
The rear bedroom, which became mine when the house was remodled in the 1950s. When we moved from New York, I yielded this room to Tom. My instincts suggested to me that it would be wise for me to be in a new relationship with the house, so I took the next bedroom down the hall.
Tom loved having widows on the east and the south with views of the woods. A room that could be filled with light. The cedar chest at the foot of the bed I moved back there a couple of years after Tom died: it is great not only for storing cover but also as a place for cover to rest in case you need to reach down and pull up another blanket on chilly nights. I keep no heat on at night, other than whatever is produced by the hot water heater and the pilot lights in the living room and master bath propane heaters.
The middle bedroom, the one I used during Tom's life. I'm sleeping mostly in the back bedroom now, using this as my dressing room. That works out nicely. On summer nights I close doors from hall to office, living room, and kitchen and turn on the window air conditioner in this room. I place a large fan in the doorway to push the cooling down the hall to the left to where I am sleeping. I simply can't sleep with a window unit running in my bedroom.
Only 2 windows in this room, of course. The closet is to the right of the bed. Until the most recent paint job, this bed came out from the wall to the left, which was more practical for getting to the closet. But when I wanted a cedar chest at the foot of this bed, that would only work with the bed in this postition. I also elected to dispense with curtains on windows of both of these bedrooms and rely on the faux wood blinds for whatever privacy I require (not much, since those are my woods down the hill).
The guest bedroom (where you will probably sleep if you come to visit) opens into the living room. The bed is of 1930s vintage and was Norma's in Las Cruces and Tuscaloosa. That bookcase has been moved out and replaced by yet another cedar chest I had over at the store(room). Since there is neither closet nor wardrobe nor chest of drawers in this room, that is where you can put rest your suitcase and other belongings.
The cedar chest in the corner has been moved to the foot of the bed. The chesl of drawers has been moved to my "dressing room." That made sense because it was filled with my sweaters. The chair actually goes with the table now in the dining room: I keep just 2 chairs with it and have the others scattered through the house: it is easy eough to gather up what I need if I have more than one guest for a meal.
Well, that's pretty much it for the house. Yes, I know, you with your eagle eye have spotted the occasional signs of dust. I'm not big on that sort of thing. One good friend has offered the thought that if you have company, use candlelight and they won't be able to see the dust. And Quentin Crisp has advised that if you let the dust pile up for 7 years, after that it won't get any worse. (Actually, I haven't ever managed to make it quite to the 7 year mark, so I can't speak for the truth of that.)
It's definitely a house for me now, ruled by my life and my comfort and my convenience. Anybody who drops in has to take it like it is. If you can't, I can always show you the back door!
And speaking of that, to complete our tour, the back door does open onto steps leading down to the patio (a room itself in a way) and the garage beyond and the driveway and my father's old country store and post office. It still looks like this, except that after the picture was taken I moved the doghouse onto the back porch of the store. By the way, those two Adirondack chairs are the same age as I: they were made by Tom's father the year I was born. Who could have predicted they would end up, at least for now, at Jonathan's house in Sawyerville, Alabama!
It's definitely a house for me now, ruled by my life and my comfort and my convenience. Anybody who drops in has to take it like it is. If you can't, I can always show you the back door!
And speaking of that, to complete our tour, the back door does open onto steps leading down to the patio (a room itself in a way) and the garage beyond and the driveway and my father's old country store and post office. It still looks like this, except that after the picture was taken I moved the doghouse onto the back porch of the store. By the way, those two Adirondack chairs are the same age as I: they were made by Tom's father the year I was born. Who could have predicted they would end up, at least for now, at Jonathan's house in Sawyerville, Alabama!
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