tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post1148363617105848316..comments2021-12-23T04:53:44.566-05:00Comments on American Dream Finder: Spring and Summer 2015 Storytellers: Two Seasons of BooksCatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post-29029231713740119102015-10-17T08:35:19.863-04:002015-10-17T08:35:19.863-04:00Congratulations on your townhome!
Sounds like we ...Congratulations on your townhome! <br />Sounds like we are both old souls. I too used to be fascinated with House Hunters, etc. and now think what a waste of time, although I do still have a weakness of any HH International in Paris. Likewise, it began to feel predictable (and dare I say programmed) when the comments came about perfectly lovely homes needing to be "gutted" because something wasn't right (not stainless steel, granite), no huge walk-in closet for clothes (which we think little of the labor producing them), the must-have of a double sink vanity. How much time does it take to brush teeth? I think it's just another level of American consumerism, getting us to spend. Our grandmothers probably had more "rich" lives without "spa" bathrooms or "gourmet" kitchens. As an environmentalist, I cringe thinking of all the dumpsters carted to landfills and that no one considers all these materials don't just show up in your home magically, we have to extract them from the earth. On shows like Love It or List It, almost every time I think, these people don't need to spend $100,000, they just need to declutter! <br />My only must-have is a "cozy factor." A feeling that you just want to have a cup of tea, curl up in a blanket with a good book or watch a movie, somewhere you want to have a big pot of soup. Something that invokes warmth. When I watch the videos with Clara in her old kitchen making pasta and peas or baked apples, I feel that warm and cozy feeling. <br />Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post-41233900334835252732015-10-13T11:34:52.105-04:002015-10-13T11:34:52.105-04:00p.s. the townhouse we bought was built in 2009 and...p.s. the townhouse we bought was built in 2009 and so of course, it has stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, which I really don't like. (Stainless steel really does live up to its reputation as being hard to clean, and the granite is so cold and looks messy to me---I can't tell what's a spot that needs to be cleaned and what's just the natural look of the stone.) But of course we're not going to replace it---even if we had the cash to do so, I think it would be wrong to tear out functional things just to replace them with finishes I like better. I'm just grateful to have a big kitchen and indoor plumbing ;-) and a roof over my head with no more psycho landlord to deal with!Lilypadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post-62826669986333819202015-10-13T11:14:35.171-04:002015-10-13T11:14:35.171-04:00I have to admit, I had a complete HGTV addiction w...I have to admit, I had a complete HGTV addiction which started many years ago when my son was 2 or 3---we always left the TV tuned to HGTV so that when anyone turned on the TV, it would be something benign and never anything scary on the screen. (And we didn't leave it on a kids' channel because then he would have just immediately started watching whatever was there and not want to stop when we needed to change the channel!) So I just fell into watching "House Hunters" or whatever when I was drinking my tea in the morning. Just this past year, I started really getting sick of the sense of entitlement on display in every episode, the complaints about perfectly fine appliances and counters that were somehow awful because they weren't stainless steel and granite, etc. I know HGTV edits the people to make them even more obnoxious, to try and create drama and conflict, but it was just really stupid and boring and I finally started fast-forwarding to the end of every episode just to see which house they picked. (I really love architecture and design and seeing different parts of the country and the world, so I ended up watching even though so much of it bugged me.) Well, this summer after 5.5 years of renting we bought a townhouse and that made money tighter than it had been, so we cancelled our cable and just got Sling TV. It has HGTV but no DVR so, like in the old days ;-), you have to be in front of the TV when your show is playing at the time it is playing. That ended my addiction and I wish I'd done it years before! I would rather spend time in Clara's kitchen with the old stove than in some fancy remodeled home with "designer finishes". Lilypadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post-64100344169272162012015-10-12T08:50:15.095-04:002015-10-12T08:50:15.095-04:00Hi Lilypad. So great to hear from you and thanks f...Hi Lilypad. So great to hear from you and thanks for the comment. I long to live more like Clara and our grandparents lived, not by need but by choice. I was looking at a photo of an Ingalls homestead site and thought not how sparse it looked but how inviting and cozy. We live with such excess and waste in our society. When I watch the home makeover shows on HGTV the designers always talk about how the updated version is such a great place for family and to entertain, but I think about the many happy times people shared in the old home without the fancy finishings. Styles change but what's most important doesn't. I loved Clara's messages about taking good care of her home and how her stove and wallpaper are old. She had such a light in her eyes which dims so often with old age. It's my hope I have the same light if I'm lucky enough to live to an old age as she did. <br />Enjoy your tea time! It's so wonderful you have these family heirlooms. I have a blue and white teapot, sugar bowl, creamer and milk jug from my grandmother I so cherish. <br />All the best to you and your family, CatherineCatherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06488301404397970300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146928463353478852.post-6955963796025044332015-10-12T01:09:57.845-04:002015-10-12T01:09:57.845-04:00I love Clara, I read her book and watched many of ...I love Clara, I read her book and watched many of her videos. She reminded me so much of my paternal grandmother who was a few years older but died 20 years ago when I was 28. I did know a lot about my grandmother's life, we were very close, but I wish I had asked her more specifically about the Depression. The strength of these women who lived through those difficult times is so inspiring. My grandmother was never rich but her home was so warm and full of love, more so than my own home was. I treasure the sugar bowl and creamer I have that belonged to her. Seeing your tea time photo above reminds me I need to take them out (and the 1950's tea cups from my husband's late aunt) and have a little tea party! Great post, as always. Your pal in Seattle, LilypadLilypadnoreply@blogger.com