VERMONT HOUSE FOR SALE

Some of you may remember my post from last year about meeting my childhood friend and driving her to Vermont to place her mother in a Respite House. Sadly her mother passed away last month and I received word that the house was on the market. How I wish there were interior photos to show you, but there were none on Realtor.com when I looked. The asking price is in the $220s.

Background: I grew up in very plain ranch style home in South Burlington Vermont. It was on a street of other very plain, built in the mid-late 50s homes. My mother has absolutely no interest in decorating and never did. The first time I met my friend Judy I was in Junior High and she lived in a house in a new subdivision. I could not believe that she had furniture that matched...really, none of it appeared to be hand me downs!! Shocking, I know. It was, at least in my memory, all painted white with some designs stenciled or painted by hand. Such class was hard for me to comprehend, but I knew at that time that decorating would become important to me.

Fast forward a few years and she and her Mom were living in this house in Mayfair Park. Mayfair Park had a lot of homes built in the 1940s and they all had character. My best friend Betsy lived in one that had two, count them...two, corner china cabinets filled with blue and white dishes. So, to me Mayfair Park was the greatest and classiest of neighborhoods. I spent a lot of time in the house above, particularly when I was in college and we watched The Carol Burnett Show and Medical Center in the basement Family Room. Even though it was a ranch style, it bore absolutely no resemblance to my home.

Here is what I remember about this house, but please remember that these are memories from almost 40 years ago. Enter in the front door and the kitchen is on the left. I remember it as small and u-shaped, open to a cozy eating area. I believe that it is called a Dining Room in Realtor.com. To the right of the entry way is a largish Living Room with built in bookcases, possibly a fireplace ( although I can't picture it) and a large floor to ceiling Bow window overlooking the back yard. Judy's bedroom was tiny, but had blue and white printed ( maybe similar to Delft tiles) wallpaper and now she had a black Boston Rocker, an antique bed and a bookcase and nightstand that were antiqued blue. I can picture it like it was yesterday. Next there was a bathroom and then her mother's room. I don't think I ever even peeked in there. There was a family room with a fireplace in the basement and an office where her mother graded papers.

The house needs work now and updating, but I remember it having great "bones". Mayfair Park is a little run down in areas, but oh how I wish I could just go there and fix up the houses one at a time and return it to its glory. I have such wonderful memories of both my friends and their houses and playing "Statues" and "One, Two, Three Red Light" in the yards when I was younger. The neighborhood is close to all major routes, the airport and great shopping within a couple of miles in either direction, including a really great Home Goods. Know anyone in Vermont looking for a starter home??

Later,
Janet