Yesterday our daughter received a special Christmas gift from her husband – a set of three old double-hung windows belonging to the Indiana farmhouse where we lived for 30 years. These not-so-tight windows were original to the house in 1908, and used to shudder with a certain wood-on-wood rattling sound in a strong wind. The kids thought it cool when interior curtains billowed in response to wintry gusts that trickled in around their edges.
Long, skinny weights hid behind the molding and clunkety-clunked whenever we opened or shut the windows – a unique, melodic, haunting sound I somehow miss. But despite their antique charm, the windows often stuck, and the storms and screens fought anyone who tried to remove them for any reason, spring cleaning included. These historic windows with distinct personality were replaced when we renovated the house in 2010 to lure a buyer.
But back to the windows as they appeared yesterday. These weren’t just paint-peeled old panes, as nostalgic and memory-laden as that might seem, but rather they’d become picture frames! Our ingenious son-in-law who helped us with the installation of the new windows during the remodel had saved these with a vision to surprise his wife who had grown up in the old farmhouse. Now he'd used them to display photos of their wedding and three gorgeous little girls!
The three windows are still temporarily being stored at our house today. At one point, unexpected emotion surfaced when I inadvertently nudged them as they leaned against the wall and heard a strangely reminiscent wood-on-wood rattle. Memories. Really sweet, sweet memories.
1 comment:
what a thoughtful husband! I have seen this done before & they are beautiful. Some of the strangest things can evoke long forgotten memories. I think it's essential to hang onto and share our personal history with our children & gradchildren.
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