Very very very fine house, Before

People keep telling us we should take lots of pictures as we work on the house. Honestly, we don't have many; we're busy working. These are from when we first got the house. They don't really convey how it felt to be in the house because you can't smell them, if you know what I mean. There was some grime. It's funny how someone else's dirt feels different from your own. If we moved out without cleaning, there would be some dirt. But we live with it, and it's cozy because it's our dirt. I know what it's from. It's the result of lives well-lived. Someone else's dirt feels icky just because it's not ours. We've known and appreciated several families who lived in this house before it came to us and we are thankful to them, for caring for it, for contributing to it's peace. Peace was the first thing I noticed about the house. You can't see it in the pictures, but it suprised me how peaceful it felt.
Also, the house had been unoccupied for a time, with some plumbing issues that led to damp and mildew, and some vermin issues; these may have contributed to the mustiness.Just a few things I like about this house: space, possibilities, freedom, a sense of peace, good light, oldness, the chance to make it our own, our neighbors.
Ahhh--what a gift!
I realize how great having a house to call our own is, in light of how many people have no home at all tonight or tomorrow or maybe ever, in this life. I hope ours can somehow become a haven for the harried, a refuge for the weary.
Thanks abounding to all the beautiful people who have helped already in its transformation.